Fortune Magazine has put forth the top 20 highest earning international athletes and it so happens that ten of those are soccer players. In light of the fact that the World Cup competition is now the main sporting event on the planet, below is a list of the top ten highest paid soccer players and how they compare to the top ten American athletes. Earnings comprise salary, bonuses, purses, tournament winnings and endorsements. All total compensation listed are calculated in pre-tax dollars.
Overall the International soccer players fared quite well against the Americans. Even though Boxing Champ Floyd Mayweather led all athletes with $105,000 in earnings, number two and three on the list were soccer standouts Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both pulling in about $75,000,000 over the last year.
- Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal $75,577,500
- Lionel Messi Argentina $74,776,470
- Neymar Brazil $37,828,600
- Gareth Bale England $32,236,080
- Wayne Rooney England $29,236,080
- Radamel FAlcao Columbia $27,457,660
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic Sweden $23,509,500
- Sergio Aguero Argentina $21,532,320
- Yaya Toure Ivory Coast $20,800,000
- Fernando Torres Spain $18,111,900
- Floyd Mayweather Boxing $105,000,000
- LeBron James Basketball $57,067,500
- Kobe Bryant Basketball $50,453,805
- Aaron Rodgers Football $45,800,000
- Peyton Manning Football $37,500,000
- Phil Mickelson Golf $37,221,975
- Tiger Woods Golf $35,500,758
- Tom Brady Football $35,000,000
- Derrick Rose Basketball $34,632,688
- Matthew Stafford Football $33,000,000