Where Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi rank compared to highest paid athletes in previous decade, including Floyd Mayweather and Lewis Hamilton – McGregor to beat them all?

Between 2010 and 2019, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were the best players in the world and were handsomely rewarded for their efforts.

However, there was one man who raked in more money than the Juventus and Barcelona footballers.

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather topped the Forbes ranking for the decade, which totalled all earnings from the world’s biggest sports stars over the previous ten years and for a man who loves to earn cash, it was no surprise to see him on top.

‘Money’, as he is often known as, made the most thanks to his mega fights with Manny Pacquiao in 2015 (also included in the top ten) and Conor McGregor, who recently claimed he wants to be a billionaire by the time he is 35, in 2017 respectively, but Ronaldo and Messi are not too far.

Below is the ten highest earning sportsmen for the previous decade and you wouldn’t be surprised to see one of McGregor, Ronaldo or Messi top the list by the time 2029 comes.

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Ronaldo vs Messi

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10. Lewis Hamilton – $400m

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9. Kevin Durant – $425m

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8. Manny Pacquiao – $435m

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7. Phil Mickelson – $480m

GETTY

6. Tiger Woods – $615m

GETTY

5. Roger Federer – $640m

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4. LeBron James – $680m

NBA

3. Lionel Messi – $750m

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2. Cristiano Ronaldo – $800m

AFP or licensors

1. Floyd Mayweather – $915m

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