Top 5 Richest Olympic Athletes In Sports History
The Olympics only gives ample opportunity for sportsmen to showcase their talents but doesn’t always guarantee considerable pay in return for each participating Olympian. However, they also stand to win medals.
However, there are also wealthy Olympic athletes, all thanks to a series of endorsement deals they have been able to get.
1. Roger Federer
To many of his fans, the Swiss professional tennis player is one of the best in the sport’s history. He has been able to rack in a whopping $130 million to his name as a tennis player. However, Federer makes more money from endorsement deals with the likes of Credit Suisse, Nike, Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, usually between €40 to 50 million per year.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese legend is one of the highest-paid footballers at the moment. In 2020, Ronaldo earned approximately $70 million from salary and a whopping $50 million from endorsement deals with the likes of Nike and other companies. As of September 2021, Ronaldo has a total net worth of $500 million.
3. Michael Jordan
The American retired as a professional basketball player, and he is arguably the greatest NBA player in history. The Chicago Bulls star made less than $100 million throughout his career. However, his endorsement deals with companies like Gatoradedeals, Nike, etc., made him a billionaire even after retirement. The businessman currently has a net worth of around $1.6 billion.
4. The Winklevoss Brothers
Although the American Twins brother competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, that was not enough to earn them a combined net worth of $6 Billion.
Cameron and Tyler are cryptocurrency and Bitcoin investors, and they are also known as founders of Gemini cryptocurrency exchange and Winklevoss Capital Management.
5. Shaquille O’Neal
The former American basketball player currently has a net worth of $400 million. He earned approximately $492 million from salary and endorsement deals during his time as a professional basketball player.