Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Lionel Messi bagged $130 million to be the world's highest paid athlete in 2022 so far in a newly posted Forbes magazine list.
Argentine forward Messi, 34, had a mediocre individual performance at Paris Saint-Germain in the 2021-22 season, but he helped them win the 2022 French Ligue 1 title in April.
According to the Forbes list, Messi was followed by Los Angeles Lakers' US superstar LeBron James, who earned $121.2 million.
The list's top five features three footballers along with two NBA players.
Manchester United's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo came third with $115 million, ahead of Messi's Brazilian PSG teammate Neymar with $95 million.
Golden State Warriors' US playmaker guard Stephen Curry made $92.8 million to be the world's fifth highest-paid athlete.
Outside of football and basketball, professional boxer Canelo Alvarez from Mexico, American NFL football player Tom Brady, and Swiss tennis veteran Roger Federer all made the list.
