Virat Kohli becomes highest paid Indian athlete, Floyd Mayweather tops the list
Virat Kohli has emerged as the highest paid Indian athlete with USD 24 million earnings in the list of highest-paid athletes in the world, which is topped by Floyd Mayweather, who earned USD 285 million. No woman athlete is part of the list and NBA players occupy 40 of the 100 spots in the list.
The 29-year old, Virat Kohli, the highest paid Indian athlete, is ranked 83rd with earnings of USD 24 million in the list of ‘World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2018’ published by Forbes.
“Virat Kohli, is not just cricket-crazy India’s biggest name but is also one of the most popular athletes in the world, boasting more Twitter followers (25 million-plus) than all but three active sports stars,” Forbes said as quoted by Hindustan Times.
Surprisingly, the list is an all-male affair with no women being featured in the list. The list is topped by 41-year-old Floyd Mayweather, with USD 285 million earnings.
This year The Board of Control for Cricket in India named Kohli as one of the five players to receive the newly-created A+ contracts, which guaranteed an annual retainer of more than USD 1 million.
“Yet like the Indian cricket mega-stars who have come before him, Kohli’s big payday comes off the pitch where he’s partnered with top brands such as Puma, Pepsi, Audi and Oakley,” Forbes said.
Serena Williams was the only woman to feature in the top 100 last year, but her prize money dropped from USD 8 million to USD 62,000 this year after she gave birth to her daughter, Alexis, in September.
This year 40 NBA players made the cut in Forbes’ annual look at the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes, breaking the record of 32 set last year. Mayweather heads the world’s highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in seven years, thanks to a USD 275 million payday for his August boxing match against UFC star Conor McGregor.
Argentine professional footballer Lionel Messi is ranked second on the list, followed by soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi’s annual salary and bonus exceeded USD 80 million, making him the highest-paid player on the pitch this year. He ranks second overall with USD 111 million, including USD 27 million through endorsement deals with Adidas, Gatorade, Pepsi and Huawei. Ronaldo’s USD 108 million haul over the past 12 months trails only Mayweather and Messi.
Others on the list are American basketball player LeBron James (6), Tennis star Roger Federer (7), golfer Tiger Woods (16), tennis player Rafael Nadal (20) and golfer Rory McIlroy (26).
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