When people say Leo Messi is a baller, they mean on and off the field. The Paris Saint-Germain superstar, according to Forbes, made more money than any other athlete in the last year.
Messi reportedly made $130 million over the time Forbes measured, and is one of three players from global soccer to make their list. Cristiano Ronaldo ($115 million) and Neymar ($95 million) finished third and fourth, respectively, while LeBron James ($121.2 million) was the closest to Messi’s total. The entire Forbes top ten comes from men’s sports, with the NBA alone being the home of four athletes to make the list.
Messi’s move from Barcelona to PSG may have come with a $22 million pay cut—we can all agree, a modest amount—but he has more than made up for the losses with new endorsements.
However, those have not been free of controversy, as Messi has been plugging Saudi Arabian tourism and the maligned fan token platform Socios (whose deal with Messi will reportedly bring the Argentina star $20 million over the next three years). His move to PSG itself has also taken some heat, as the French giant’s majority owner is Qatar Sports Investments, an arrangement that has been accused of being an attempt at sportswashing.
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