Celebrity sportsmen and women are cash magnets. Just like their counterparts in Hollywood, Bollywood and Silicon Valley, the top performers on the courts, fields and tracks earn top dollar… not only in terms of winnings but in terms of corporate sponsorships and endorsements.
Whether it’s golf, motor racing, cricket, athletics, baseball or the
golden game of football, the men and women who ‘wow’ the world with their extraordinary achievements bank the equivalent of a small country’s GDP at the peak of their prowess.
So… who are the top earners in world sports and what brands are doling out thick wads of cash just to be associated with our sporting celebs?
AB de Villiers - Cricket
Star South African cricketer AB de Villiers is the most talented and precocious batsmen the world has ever seen. His uncanny ability to play difficult shots with ease, precision and incomparable grace make him one of the most watchable and bankable sporting icons.
De Villiers may be at his technical best when he’s playing tests for his home country, South Africa, but his awesome antics in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have made him a cult hero and an extremely wealthy man indeed. He scooped up more than $6.5m in salary and endorsements in 2017, with Indian tyre manufacturing company MRF a key contributor. The batting sensation has an estimated net worth of $20m.
Lewis Hamilton - F1 Motor Racing
Britain’s fearless Formula One champion has stunned the world with his myriad successes on the track. The four-time World Champion has racked up 63 race victories with first McLaren and then Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton’s competitiveness and driver skills have elevated him to superstar status and many pundits have tipped him to become the greatest Formula One driver of all time.
Hamilton banked more than $46 million in winnings and endorsements in 2017, a nice little chunk of cash to add to a net worth of $240m! The likes of L’Oréal, Bose, Puma and Bombardier Recreational Products are the big money bags behind the effervescent speedster.
Rory McIlroy – Golf
Quiet, unassuming but supremely talented,
Rory McIlroy is one of the most exciting golfers on the circuit today. The Northern Irishman has won four majors and 23 titles and has been ranked number one on the Official World Golf Rankings for 95 weeks.
McIlroy is known for his astounding long game and his steely nerves that have helped him more than once in tight playoff situations. Endorsement deals with TaylorMade, Omega, Nike and Upper Deck have seen the young man from Holywood accumulate a net worth of $209 million. In 2017 alone, McIlroy earned $50 million in endorsements and winnings!
Roger Federer - Tennis
Roger Federer will go down in the annals of history as the greatest tennis player of all time. The affable Swiss Maestro has won 20 grand slam titles, more than any other man in the history of the game. He’s enjoyed the number one ranking for 308 weeks, has won Wimbledon a record eight times and has 97 ATP titles under the belt. Federer has broken and set more records than any other living tennis player and at the age of 36, he is playing some of his best tennis yet.
Tall, elegant and always the ideal role model for the younger set, Federer has an estimated net worth of around $420 million. In 2017 he earned a whopping $64 million in winnings and endorsements from some of the best-known brands on the planet - Nike, Wilson, Credit Suisse, Mercedes, Rolex, Lindt, Jura and Moet & Chandon!
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