Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Roger Federer added another feather to their crown by making it to the list of Forbes’ 2020 list of highest-paid celebrities. Federer bagged the third spot in the coveted list behind model Kylie Jenner and rapper Kanye West.
With a total of $106.3 million, thanks to the best endorsement portfolio in sports with brands like Uniqlo, Credit Suisse and Mercedes-Benz among others, the Swiss tennis legend had a year to remember.
In the list of highest-paid sportspersons as well, Federer edged Messi and Ronaldo to the top spot. Ronaldo – who partnered with Nike, Herbalife, Altice and his own CR7 brand – pipped the Barcelona captain with $105 million annual earnings.
Among sportspersons, Messi finished with annual earnings of $104 million and fifth in the overall list of highest-paid celebrities. A lion share of Messi’s earnings come from Adidas, MasterCard and PepsiCo.
Speculations are rife that Ronaldo and Messi could be leaving their respective clubs in the next season after their contracts expire. Both the players are currently playing for their respective clubs and are doing a good job. The two football icons locked horns last week when Barcelona hosted Juventus in a Champions League game in Camp Nou. Ronaldo scored a brace as the Turin side went on to win 3-1 and top Group G.
The other sportspersons who made it to the Top 25 in the list of Highest-Paid Celebrities are US basketball players Stephen Curry and Kevin Durrant with an annual income of $74.5 million and $63.9 million respectively.
With the Coronavirus pandemic hitting the sporting calendar with events getting postponed or canceled, Federer still managed to maintain the pole position even after Wimbledon was called off. Federer is currently out of action due to a knee injury and in all probability will make a return in the Australian Open next year.