NEW DELHI: Forbes has released its 2020 list of the top 100 highest paid athletes in the world. No surprises for guessing that cricket superstar Virat Kohli is the only Indian to feature.
Kohli is ranked at number 66 with total earnings of $26 million, making a jump of over 30 places from 2019, according to the annual Forbes list released on Friday.
According to the magazine, Kohli earned $24m from endorsements, and $2m from salary and winnings.
With earnings of $25m, Kohli was ranked 100th in 2019 and 83rd in 2018 with $24m.
Tennis legend Roger Federer has toped the list for the first time with earnings of $106.3m, displacing Lionel Messi from the top spot.
Football icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi are second and third respectively with earnings of $105m and $104m.
The others in the top-10 are Neymar (football), LeBron James (basketball), Stephen Curry (basketball), Kevin Durrant (basketball), Tigers Woods (golf), Kirk Cousins (American football) and Carson Wentz (American football).
Japan’s Naomi Osaka ($37.4 million), who was ranked 29th on the list, surpassed fellow tennis player Serena Williams ($36 million) as the world’s highest-earning female athlete. Osaka and Williams were the only women on the list.
Basketball players led all sports with 35 players among the top 100. American football occupied 31 spots, none higher than six-times Super Bowl champion Tom Brady ($45m) who was ranked 25th.
Soccer was the next most represented sport with 14 players, followed by tennis (six), boxing and mixed marital arts (five), golf (four), motor racing (three), and baseball and cricket with one each.
