The list comprises a range of sports including tennis, basketball, golf and football.
A new list has once and for all ranked the top 100 professional athletes of the 21st century, and there’s a few surprising names in the mix.
The list was compiled by online betting site OLBG, who call themselves ‘the most knowledgeable sports betting community in the world’.
Interestingly, the company chose to rank athletes by their gross earnings. Whether that’s a good metric or not we can’t be sure, but regardless, these are the results they found.
A statement on the company’s website reads: “Athletes often become brand ambassadors to earn additional income from their success in sports. A certain athlete’s endorsement of a product can lead to an increase in sales for that product or products. Because of their success, personality, or charisma, sports personalities make great endorsers of sports-related companies, such as the likes of Nike and Adidas.
“Many athletes are also paid to endorse beauty products, fashion lines, nutritional products, sportsbooks, electronic gaming developers, and even hotels and gyms.
“Furthermore, many athletes and celebrities also engage in business ventures, including buying stakes in companies or investing in start-ups,” they added.
“Some sports personalities also start their own companies, such as media companies and fashion brands.
“Here are the highest-earning athletes off the field, from tennis stars to NFL legends.”
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We’ve decided to post half of the list, because who really cares who the 77th best professional athlete of the 21st century is.
So, without further ado, here’s the list of the top 50:
50. Ryan Ramczyk (American football): $0.1m
49. Marshon Lattimore (American football): $0.1m
48. Deshaun Watson (American football): $ $0.1m
47. Amari Cooper (American football): $0.5m
46. John Wall (basketball): $0.5m
45. TJ Watt (American football): $1.0m
44. Max Verstappen (racing driver): $2.0m
43. Tyson Fury (boxing): $2.0m
42. Stefon Diggs (American football): $2.5m
41. Kirk Cousins (American football): $2.5m
40. Matthew Stafford (American football): $2.5m
39. Kemba Walker (basketball): $3.0m
38. Bradley Beal (basketball): $4.0m
37. Josh Allen (American football): $4.0m
36. Canelo Alvarez (boxing): $5.0m
35. Kawhi Leonard (basketball): $6.0m
34. Jake Paul (boxing): $8.0m
33. Chris Paul (basketball): $8.0m
32. Joel Embiid (basketball): $8.0m
31. Devin Booker (basketball): $8.0m
30. Lewis Hamilton (racing driver): $8.0m
29. Paul George (basketball): $8.5m
28. Conor McGregor (MMA): $10.0m
27. Anthony Davis (basketball): $10.0m
26. Aaron Rodgers (American football): $11.0m
25. Dak Prescott (American football): $12.0m
24. Jimmy Butler (basketball): $12.0m
23. Russell Wilson (American football): $14.0m
22. Mike Trout (baseball): $14.0m
21. Kylian Mbappe (football): $15.0m
20. Klay Thompson (basketball): $17.0m
19. Mohamed Salah (football): $18.0m
18. Damian Lillard (basketball): $18.0m
17. Patrick Mahomes (American football): $20.0m
16. Neymar (football): $25.0m
15. James Harden (basketball): $30.0m
14. Rory McIlroy (golf): $34.0m
13. Russell Westbrook (basketball): $35.0m
12. Giannis Antetokounmpo (basketball): $41.0m
11. Phil Mickelson (golf): $42.0m
10. Serena Williams (tennis): $45.0m
9. Stephen Curry (basketball): $47.0m
8. Kevin Durant (basketball): $50.0m
7. Tom Brady (American football): $52.0m
6. Lionel Messi (football): $55.0m
5. Cristiano Ronaldo (football): $55.0m
4. Naomi Osaka (tennis): $58.0m
3. Tiger Woods (golf): $68.0m
2. LeBron James (basketball): $80.0m
1. Roger Federer (tennis): $90.0m
There you have it. Many will argue that YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul shouldn’t have made the cut, while others will suggest that Conor McGregor should be in the top ten.
Few will argue, however, about Federer topping the list. The Swedish sensation brought tennis into the 21st century when he burst onto the professional scene in the early noughties.
He became the face of Nike for several years, and his iconic silhouette of long-hair held back with a hairband and crisp, clean white t-shirt and shorts for every match is cemented in every sports fan’s mind.
He retired in 2022 with 103 titles and 1,251 wins to his name throughout his professional career – including 20 grand slams.
