World's Highest Paid Athletes List 2022: From Lionel Messi to Giannis Antetokounmpo

Lionel Messi and Giannis Antetokounmpo feature in the Worlds Highest Paid Athletes List 2022 — Lionel Messi and Giannis Antetokounmpo feature in the World's Highest Paid Athletes List 2022

Bengaluru, May 12: Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain superstar footballer Lionel Messi was the world's highest paid athlete over the last year (May 1, 2021 to May 1, 2022), according to the list released by Forbes.

With a pre-tax gross earnings of $130 million in the last 12 months, Messi tops Forbes' annual ranking for the world's highest-paid athletes and also claims the top spot for the second time in four years.

In 2021, Messi finished second behind UFC star Conor McGregor, and in 2020, he finished third behind Tennis great Roger Federer and football rival Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2019, the Argentine superstar topped the list.

NBA great LeBron James takes the second spot with a total earning of $121.2 million followed by Portugal and Manchester United football star Ronaldo in third with a total earning of $115 million.

LeBron James and Stephen Curry are also in the top 10

The list is dominated by football and basketball stars including Kevin Durant, Neymar, Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo, while NFL legend Tom Brady, Tennis legend Federer and Boxer Saul Canelo Alvarez make up the top 10.

Here is the list for Forbes World's Highest Paid Athletes in 2022:

Ranking	Name of Athlete	Nationality	Sport	Total Earnings
1	Lionel Messi	Argentina	Football	$130 million
2	LeBron James	USA	Basketball	$121.2 million
3	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Football	$115 million
4	Neymar	Brazil	Football	$95 million
5	Stephen Curry	USA	Basketball	$92.8 million
6	Kevin Durant	USA	Basketball	$92.1 million
7	Roger Federer	Switzerland	Tennis	$90.7 million
8	Saul Canolo Alvarez	Mexico	Boxing	$90 million
9	Tom Brady	USA	American Football	$83.9 million
10	Giannis Antetokounmpo	Greece	Basketball	$80.9 million