Most athletes do their daily "work" just because they want to. Their profit is fitness and health, perhaps a small amount of fame in their own region and sometimes a little hand money.  But we all know that there is quite a small group of sports celebrities that earn a fortune with their talent. Their financial success is partially beyond belief. 

Martials arts pay off!

Let's have a look at the highest paid athletes of the world: Who has had the biggest salaries in 2021? The business magazine Forbes presents us a ranking that leaves the ordinary citizen amazed. Not only soccer players are included in this exclusive community, but also basketballers, footballers and MMA pros.  In fact, the first place is taken by the Irish martial artist Conor McGregor. He is the first martial arts fighter who leads the famous Forbes list since the ranking began in 1990. For his efforts McGregor in the past twelve months, he received 22 million US Dollars. But that's by far not all! From his advertising partners, among them the whisky brand Proper No. Twelve, 158 million US Dollars are added. That means the fighter earns 180 million Dollars per year. 

A story of earning of winning

In total, the top ten highest-paid athletes earned 1.05 billion Dollars in 2021. That is 28 percent more than in 2020. The good news for the average citizen is: You too can profit financially from professional sports – through sport betting. But forget about the millions and billions of the sport celebrities, because all bookmakers have fixed limits for payouts. Ranging approximately from 100,000 per week to 1.16 million per day, depending on your provider's country. On relevant betting sites like arabianbetting.com you can compare the individual portals and chose the one with the best conditions. For example, have a look at the best betting portals of the Middle East and North Africa, compare their bonus systems and gather a lot of useful tips from betting experts. Learn how to play anonymously – and get to your chosen platform within a few minutes. The German soccer player Max Kruse takes advantage of both opportunities: He earns his money at 1. FC Union Berlin – and is a part-time poker player. His live poker winnings currently amount to 133.313 US Dollar. 

The income of a superstar

Cristiano Ronaldo, a superstar among the soccer players, also lost his heart at the poker table. Not because he earns to little, no, just for the fun of it. Concerning his income, he just dethroned Messe as the highest-played soccer player of the world! Currently he is working at as an attacker for Manchester United. Here the Portuguese earns 70 US Dollars a year, just as he formerly did at Juventus Turin. Besides there are about 349 million people following him on Instagram. As one of the most successful influencers of the world, Ronaldo is requested by numerous companies as an advertising medium. His advertiser deals flush another 55 million Dollars into the till. That adds up to an annual income of 125 million Dollars. Not bad for a man who just kicks a ball across the green lawn!

The earnings of another superstar

Lionel Messi has to be satisfied with the 3^rd place of the Forbes ranking this year. The Argentine professional soccer player moved to Paris Saint-Germain and lost a bit of this income there. FC Barcelona payed him 97 million Dollars per year, the French transfer to him only 75 million Dollars, but he stays one of the best soccer players of all time. Numerous advertising partners literally stick to him, among them MasterCard, Pepsi and Adidas. That brings him an additional 35 million, so his income is about 110 million Dollars per year. Enough to have a relaxed lifestyle without worries about the future. 

Football is worthwhile, too

On the fourth place we meet the football player Dak Prescott, working for the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL. According to the Forbes ranking 2021, the famous quarterback was paid around 97,5 million Dollars last year. Plus, he had a 66-million-dollar signing bonus in this new four-year-contract, so it all adds up to more than 100 million dollars within twelve months.