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In Pictures: World’s highest-paid athletes

Forbes revealed a list of the highest-paid athletes in the world today. Here, we share the top 10 from that list.

10) Matt Ryan, NFL - $43.8m. Matt Ryan signed a five-year contract in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons last year which was worth $103.75m. The figure included a $28m signing bonus and a $12m option bonus paid in March.
Published On 23 Jul 2014

Money in sport has become a huge talking point.

Colombian footballer James Rodriguez recently became the fourth-most-expensive signing when Real Madrid paid almost $110m to Monaco to get his signature.

Earlier this week, Rory McIlroy pocketed $1.6m for winning golf’s Open Championship at Hoylake.

Select european footballers are earning in excess of $340,000 a week.

Forbes recently revealed a list of the highest-paid athletes in the world today. Here, we share the top 10 from that list.

9) Rafael Nadal, tennis - $44.5m. Spain(***)s tennis star Rafael Nadal sits ninth on the list with earnings of $44.5m. Nadal had a astonoshing 2013 season where he went 75-7 and finished top of the rankings.
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8) Phil Mickelson, golf - $53.2m. Phil Mickelson picked up some extra dollars in sponsor bonuses after winning the British Open for the first time last year. He earns more than $40 million annually from appearances and endorsement partners, according to Forbes.
7) Roger Federer, tennis - $56.2m. Roger Federer who holds the records for most singles Grand Slam wins (17) and career prize money ($81m). He has appeared in a record 25 Grand Slam finals, and 18 out of 19 between 2005 and 2010.
6) Tiger Woods, golf - $61.2m. Tiger Woods(***) comeback from back surgery has not gone according to plan as he failed to impress in the two tournaments this summer. However, the former top-ranked golfer is second on the list of most Major titles won - 14.
5) Kobe Bryant, NBA - $61.5m. Kobe Bryant managed just six games in the 2013-14 season due to a knee injury but had the highest salary in the NBA for the fourth straight year - a whopping $30.5m, nearly $8m higher than any other player, according to Forbes.
4) Lionel Messi, football - $64.7m. Barcelona(***)s Lionel Messi finished behind Cristiano Ronaldo in this year(***)s Ballon d(***)Or award after winning it four consecutive times. In May, he signed a new five-year contract with the Spanish club which will pay him $50m annually.
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3) LeBron James, NBA - $72.3m. LeBron James won back-to-back championships with Miami Heat and four MVP awards. Sales of his signature Nike shoes were tops among active players at $300m in the US last year, according to SportsOneSource, and his jersey was the NBA(***)s best-seller.
2) Cristiano Ronaldo, football - $80m. Holder of the Ballon d(***)Or and an integral cog of the Real Madrid squad, Cristiano Ronaldo was voted the sport(***)s most valuable player in the world in 2013 for the second time in his career. Real won the Champions League last season and the Portuguese has a record five-year contract worth more than $200m.
1) Floyd Mayweather, boxing - $105m. But the world(***)s highest-paid athlete is boxer Floyd Mayweather who became the athlete besides Tiger Woods to earn $100m in Forbes(***) annual tally of the highest-paid athletes. Mayweather earned a guaranteed $32m for his May fight with Marcos Maidana.