Lionel Messi tops Cristiano Ronaldo on Forbes’ 2022 Top 10 list of highest-paid athletes

American business magazine, Forbes has released its yearly list of the top 10 highest-paid athletes of the year.

According to list which was released on Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi topped sports highest-earners after earning $130 million over the past 12 months.

However, football star, Messi, from his final season with Barcelona, lost roughly $22 million in salary, but he still makes roughly $75 million with PSG and saw a significant increase in endorsements that matched his 12-month record from last year’s study.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is ahead of Lakers forward LeBron James and Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who occupied the second and third positions, respectively.

The list of the top 10 are presented below:

1. Lionel Messi (football) – $130 million
2. LeBron James (basketball) – $121.2 million
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (football) – $115 million
4. Neymar (Football) – $95 million
5. Stephen Curry (Basketball) – $92.8 million
6. Kevin Durant (Basketball) – $92.1 million
7. Roger Federer (Tennis) – $90.7 million
8. Canelo Alvarez (Boxer) – $90 million
9. Tom Brady (American football) – $83.9 million
10. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Basketball) – $80.9 million