Who are the richest athletes in the world ever?
How much is the world’s wealthiest athlete worth right now?
Read on to find out which of your favorite athletes made our top-20 list.
The world of sports has seen athletes live flashy luxurious lifestyles, thanks to the huge sums they command in salaries, bonuses, and endorsements.
In this article, we carefully look into the lives of some of the richest athletes of all time. Our ranking is largely based on their net worths in 2020 and how these athletes were able to expand their wealth.
Some of these athletes have since retired from their various sports.
Table of Contents
The Richest Athletes in the World Ever
20. George Foreman
Net Worth: $300 Million
George Foreman is an accomplished boxer and a 2 time World Heavyweight Champion. When he retired from boxing, he had a net worth of about $5 million.
Over the years, his keen eye for business has seen his net worth grow many times over. His fat removing grill has been his bestseller and contributes a large portion to his growing wealth.
In 2020, George Foreman’s net worth is valued at about $300 million, finding him a spot on the list of richest athletes of all time.
19. “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson
Net Worth: $320 Million
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson rose to fame in the WWF where he became a 10-time World Champion. His trash-talking persona headlined some of the biggest pay per view events in the WWE.
When he began his acting career in full, he was an instant hit, with his movies grossing over $10 billion in revenue worldwide.
The Rock partnered with Under Armor to produce his own sneakers line, which has also seen massive success.
“The Rock” Dwayne Johnson’s net worth is valued at $320 million in 2020, ranking him among the wealthiest WWE wrestlers ever.
18. Jack Nicklaus
Net Worth: $320 Million
With 18 major Championships, Jack Williams Nicklaus A.K.A “the Golden Bear” is widely considered by many as the greatest golfer in the world.
They are actually not far from the truth, seeing as he tops the all-time rankings and is three more championships ahead of Tiger Woods.
Since his retirement from the sport, he has built himself a mini business empire that includes a winery, an ice-cream company, arts, and a golf course design firm that has already built over 400 golf courses.
In 2020, Jack Nicklaus’ net worth is approximately $320 million.
17. Alex Rodriguez
Net Worth: $350 Million
Alex Rodriguez now serves as an MLB analyst for Fox Sports and ESPN. This comes after a stellar 22 years career, which saw him ranked fourth in the all-time list for home runs.
Throughout his career in the MLB, Rodriguez earned over $440 million in salaries.
As of 2020, Alex Rodriguez’s net worth is estimated at $350 million, making him the richest baseball player of all time.
16. Phil Mickelson
Net Worth: $400 Million
Phil Mickelson has been one of the world’s biggest golfers, winning 5 Championships and 44 PGA tours.
He has raked in over $91 million in prize money, second only to his long time rival Tiger Woods (when considering active players).
His total prize money pales in comparison to the $700 million he has made in endorsements throughout his career.
In 2020, Phil Mickelson’s net worth is approximately $400 million, which ranks him among the richest golfers right now.
15. Shaquille O’Neal
Net Worth: $400 Million
One of the greatest players in the history of the NBA, Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal (who retired in 2011) won the MVP award three times in a row. He’s of only two players to accomplish the feat in the NBA’s history.
Shaq has been featured in several movies and TV shows and has four studio albums (one of them platinum).
He currently serves as a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA on TNT.
Shaquille O’Neal’s net worth is estimated at $400 million in 2020.
14. Lionel Messi
Net Worth: $400 Million
Barcelona forward who tops the list of the best football (soccer) player in the world, has won the Ballon d’Or award a record six times.
He receives an annual salary that matches his status and was Forbes’s second-highest-paid football player in 2020, with $104 million in earnings.
He also has numerous endorsements with several companies like Adidas, Gatorade, Huawei, Mastercard, Pepsi, and several others.
As of 2020, Lionel Messi’s net worth is approximately $400 million.
13. Vinnie Johnson
Net Worth: $400 Million
Vinnie “Microwave” Johnson was one of the best sixth men in the NBA while playing for the Detroit Pistons in the ’80s and was certainly a fan favorite.
He was part of the NBA Champions in the 1989 and 1990 seasons.
After he retired from the NBA, he started a company called “Piston Automotive” in 1995, and the company has become a huge success bringing in close to $3 billion in revenue.
AS of 2020, Vinnie Johnson’s net worth is estimated to be $400 million.
12. David Beckham
Net Worth: $450 Million
Often considered as one of the greatest soccer players, David Beckham retired from association football in 2013 with over $700 million in career earnings as reported by Forbes.
Yet the former England Captain still earns a whole lot more than some of the top earners in the English Premier League right now.
He has a long-term contract with ‘Global Partnership Brands’ to create the Beckham brands of products and Diageo that produces a single grained Scotch called Haig Club which he promotes on Instagram regularly.
David Beckham’s net worth is currently valued at $450 million.
11. Roger Federer
Net Worth: $450 Million
With 20 Grand Slam singles titles, Roger Federer has etched his name in history as arguably the greatest male tennis player in history.
The former number 1 has been at the top of the ATP rankings for a record 267 consecutive weeks and a total of 310 weeks, which is way more times than any other player can boast of.
The 39-year-old has made about $130 million in prize money, which is a huge fortune, but a fraction of what he makes from his endorsements with the likes of Uniqlo, Mercedes, Rolex, Gillette, Moet & Chandon, and several large companies in Switzerland.
Roger Federer’s net worth is estimated at $450 million, making him the richest tennis player globally. According to Forbes, in 2020, Federer is the highest-paid athlete, with $106 million in earnings.
10. Cristiano Ronaldo
Net Worth: $466 Million
The 35-year-old Portuguese has proven himself to be among the greatest footballers of all time, smashing records while rising to new challenges.
He is the highest-paid footballer in 2020, receiving $109 million from his current employers in Italy and his various sponsors.
Ronaldo signed a lifetime deal with Nike in 2016 and has several deals with Armani, EA Sports, Tag Heuer Castrol, and others. He is also proving himself as an entrepreneur by promoting his own CR7 brand with 2 hotels in Portugal, his own clothing line, and several other ventures.
In 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo’s net worth is valued at $460 million, ranking him as the 10th richest athlete in the world.
9. LeBron James
Net Worth: $480 Million
With four NBA Championships and four NBA’s Most Valuable Player awards, LeBron James certainly needs no introduction.
The NBA Megastar signed a 4-year contract worth $153 million in 2018. According to Forbes, he earned a little over $88 million in 2020, with $60 million from endorsements alone.
That makes him the active player with the top sponsorship portfolio in the NBA, thanks to his mammoth $1 billion lifetime deal with Nike.
James also has a media company called Uninterrupted and a production company named “Spring Hill Entertainment,” not to talk of the 21 Blaze Pizza franchises he co-owns with some of his partners.
LeBron James’ net worth as of 2020 is approximately $480 million, which ranks him as the 9th richest athlete in the world.
8. Floyd Mayweather
Net Worth: $505 Million
Floyd “Money” Mayweather is often considered as one of the best boxers in the world, thanks to his impeccable record.
He has won every single boxing match of his professional career, an incredible 50–0 winning 15 major titles during his career.
His decision to drop his former promoters and form his own in 2007 proved to be the best decision ever and was consistently on the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes until his second retirement in 2015.
Mayweather’s biggest payday was after a fight against Conor McGregor which he won by TKO in the 10th round, earning over $275 million from PPV.
Floyd Mayweather’s net worth is estimated to be around $505 million as of 2020, making him the world’s richest boxer right now.
7. Magic Johnson
Net Worth: $600 Million
Earvin Johnson A.K.A Magic Johnson won the NBA Championship 5 times and was also 3 time NBA MVP before he retired in 1996. Johnson earned about $40 million over the course of his basketball career in the NBA.
He began to focus on business after he retired from the NBA to form his company “Magic Johnson Enterprise” and formed a successful partnership with Starbucks and Sony Enterprise.
Magic Johnson became co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012 after purchasing it for $2 billion.
In 2020, Magic Johnson’s net worth is valued as much as $600 million.
6. Roger Staubach
Net Worth: $600 Million
Roger Staubach was a quarterback in the NFL in the ’70s and played for the Dallas Cowboys for the entire 11 seasons of his NFL career. He played 5 Super Bowl and was a starter in four of them and winning 2.
After his retirement, he created the Staubach Company building it up to a multi-million dollar company, which he sold for $640 million in 2010.
Roger Staubach’s net worth is $600 million in 2020, placing 5th on our ranking of the richest athletes in the world right now. He is also the richest NFL player of all time.
5. Michael Schumacher
Net Worth: $600 Million
Michael Schumacher is a German former racing driver who won a record 7 Formula One World Championships with five of the Seven tournaments won consecutively.
His numbers showed just how much he had conquered Formula One, etching his name as the greatest and most successful Formula One driver in the history of the sport.
He is one of the few athletes to have earned $1 billion-plus from his sporting career.
Michael Schumacher’s net worth as of 2020 is valued at $600 million, ranking him as the 5th richest athlete and the richest Formula 1 driver in the world.
4. Tiger Woods
Net Worth: $800 Million
Tiger Woods is currently the most successful and the highest-earning professional golfer in the history of the sport.
The bulk of his earnings has been from his various sponsorship deals over the years with his entire golf course winnings being $118 million. That contributes just a little over 7 per cent of a staggering $1.65 billion earned over the course of his very successful career.
Even after paying his ex-wife a little over $100 million as part of his divorce settlement, his overall worth wasn’t affected as much.
In 2020, Tiger Woods’ net worth is approximately $800 million, which ranks him as the world’s richest golfer right now.
3. Ion Tiriac
Net Worth: $1.2 Billion
Ion Tiriac represented his country Romania as part of the Ice hockey national team in the winter Olympics of 1964, before becoming a tennis player.
He won 23 career titles including a Grand Slam doubles title and reached number 8 in the ATP before retiring from active sports in 1979.
He created Ion Tiriac Bank, Romania’s first private bank, in 1991. He then went on to launch a series of retail businesses and acquired the largest real estate portfolio in Romania and by 2007 he was officially Romania’s first billionaire.
His net worth peaked to more than $2 billion before some of his major businesses took a hit within the last few years.
In 2020, Ion Tiriac’s net worth is valued at a massive $1.2 billion, placing him 3rd on the list of world’s richest athletes of all time.
2. Vince McMahon
Net Worth: $1.7 Billion
Vince McMahon is the Chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)—the biggest wrestling promotions company in the United States.
Since he took over from his father in the ’80s, Mr. McMahon has been working behind the scenes to ensure that the family business becomes even more successful and a global brand.
The bulk of his net worth does come from the WWE, but he also has other businesses too, like his other company, “Alpha Entertainment” which held the controlling interests of the XFL, which is another American Football League.
Yes, Vince McMahon has proven to be a successful businessman, but he is also a 2 time World Champion of the WWE.
In 2020, Vince McMahon’s net worth is valued at a huge $1.7 billion, placing him the second richest athlete globally.
1. Michael Jordan
Net Worth: $2.2 Billion
The NBA legend is no doubt the greatest basketball player the NBA has ever seen. He was the first athlete to receive over $30 million as an annual salary.
His entire salary during his time with the NBA was a little over $90 million, but that was nothing compared to his endorsements with companies like MC Donald’s, Hanes, Gatorade, MCI, and several others.
Jordan’s most lucrative sponsorship deal was the “Nike Air Jordan” partnership which has seen him receive over $80 million in royalties every year since he retired from the NBA.
By 2014, Michael Jordan paid almost $150 million to own a 90% stake of the Chicago Hornets. By 2019 the Chicago Hornets was now worth over $1.5billion, he then sold a minority stake of the club to a hedge fund.
Right now, in 2020, Michael Jordan’s net worth is valued at a whopping $2.1 billion, which makes him the richest athlete in the world. Jordan is also the richest NBA player of all-time.
Conclusion
There you have it — the top-20 richest athletes in the world, based on their net worths as of 2020.
What are your thoughts? Please share it with us in the comments section below.