Barcelona and Argentina striker Lionel Messi dethroned five-division boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather as the highest paid athlete over the past year, according to the annual list published by business magazine Forbes on Tuesday.
Messi, who scored 36 goals while leading Barcelona to the La Liga title this year, earned $127 million between his salary and endorsements to move up one spot on the list of the world's 100 highest-paid athletes.
Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo ($109 million), Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar ($105 million), Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez ($94 million) and Swiss tennis great Roger Federer ($93.4 million) rounded out the top five.
Mayweather, who topped the list in 2018 and four times in seven years, only had an exhibition match last December in Japan and did not crack the top 100, which is comprised of athletes from 10 different sports.
NBA trio of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant also make it to the top 10.
Check out the top 10 highest-paid athlete in the world:
1. Lionel Messi $127m (Football)
2. Cristiano Ronaldo $109m (Football)
3. Neymar $105m (Football)
4. Canelo Alvarez $94m (Boxing)
5. Roger Federer $93.4m (Tennis)
6. Russell Wilson $89.5m (American football)
7. Aaron Rodgers $89.3m (American football)
8. LeBron James $89m (NBA)
9. Stephen Curry $79.8m (NBA)
10. Kevin Durant $65.4m (NBA)
Photographs: Getty Images
