Real Time Soccer Legends, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi Top's Forbes' Highest-Paid Athletes List

Gone are the days when sports were taken as just hobbies. In real time sports world, sportspersons are sort after by corporate organizations and business entities not just for their talents but for their brand names. Little wonder why clubs like Real Madrid spends so much on renowned soccer players, and brands like Nike, Addidas,

The recent Forbes's List of World's Highest-Paid Athletes is more than a testament to the revolution of sportspersons as celebrities and bankable brands. Thus, their income transcends the wages earned from active participation in the treasured sporting activities, but stretches deep down into the pockets of multinationals intending to bank on their approval ratings and fan base to market their products.

The one-hundred-person list of 2016 highest paid athletes is topped by the flamboyant lady's man Cristiano Ronaldo. CR7 currently lounging after leading his club side team, Real Madrid to their 11th Champions League title is reported to have grossed in an estimated 88 Million U.S Dollars, with more than half of the income from wages and winnings (income from his active participation in soccer events). However, a whooping 32 Million U.S Dollars was earned from endorsements.

This is rather not surprising as the dexterous winger is also the most popular sportsman on social media (a platform dominated by celebrity-musicians) with over 200 million followers in the aggregate. This is enough to earn him endorsements. His topping of the highest-paid athletes list is thus not of much surprise, toppling retired boxer Floyd Mayweather.

Not far off is CR7's relentless rival and Achilles heel, Lionel Messi. Another soccer player who has wowed the world with his deft piece of dribbling meander, Lionel Messi, earned 53.4 Million U.S Dollars according to Forbes estimates from salary and winning bonuses, while about 28 Million U.S Dollars came from endorsements led by Adidas.

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However, unlike the two aforementioned soccer stars, the third name on the list is a basketballer, Lebron James. In his own rights, he proved to have made the most from endorsements instead of direct earning from basketballing. Contrasting his salary/winning earning of 28 Million U.S Dollars are the earnings from endorsements which stood estimated at 54 Million U.S Dollars.

The list was not however all men dominated as the younger of the Williams' sisters, Serena Williams and embattled Maria Sharapova made the list with a fortune of U.S $28.9 Million  and U.S $21.9Million respectively to take the 40th and 89th position.

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