Elite-level athletes have unfathomable earning potential. Such superstars have the skills to win games for their respective teams, drawing in fans from far and wide.
A team with a top-tier player on its roster can increase ticket prices, sell more memorabilia, and charge the Earth to broadcasters and sponsors because sports fans worldwide want to see these legendary figures in action.
Professional athletes have always been well-paid through their salaried contracts, endorsements, sponsorships, and other kickbacks and perks associated with being in the public eye.
However, modern-day sports teams and franchises are willing to break the bank to secure the services of their game’s top talent, handing them contracts we mere mortals can only dream of.
The five most significant contracts in sports history tally up to more than $2.8 billion! Do you know which players are in the top five earners? You will do it by the time you finish this article.
Shohei Ohtani – $700 Million Over 10 Years
Shohei Ohtani is well-known among the BetUS online sportsbook fraternity because he is a crucial player for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Ohtani was born in Iwate, Japan, in July 1994 and showed an aptitude for playing baseball from an early age.
Coached by his father, Ohtani began playing amateur baseball in the Japanese Industrial League, where his pitching and battling skills caught the eyes of MLB’s top teams.
After spending four years with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels in time for the 2018 regular season. His international status limited him to a rookie-scale salary and a limited bonus; his four-year deal earned him $1,454,259 plus a $2,315,000 signing bonus.
In 2021, Ohtani signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract, which expired at the end of the 2023 season, allowing him to become a free agent.
Ohtani used his free-agent status to discuss potential deals with other teams. He eventually signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the largest contract ever awarded to a sportsperson.
His deal is structured so that he will receive $68 million per season from 2034 to 2043 despite having likely retired from baseball.
Lionel Messi – $674 Million Over Four Years
Lionel Messi is one of the greatest soccer players ever. He has won everything a soccer player can win, including the coveted Ballon d’Or, the award given to the best soccer player in the world, eight times.
As such, Messi commands an astronomical salary and bonus scheme, as is evident by the four-year, $674 million deal he has while playing for Spanish club FC Barcelona.
Messi’s mega-contract ran between 2017 and 2021, giving him an average annual salary of $168.5 million. That equates to $4,434,210 each time he stepped onto the soccer field.
Messi’s deal only came to light when the Spanish media published findings showing that Barcelona was in financial trouble, partly because of the massive wages the club paid Messi and other stars.
Messi now plays for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS), a competition with a salary cap. The Argentinian maestro officially earns $20.5 million per year.
Still, various deals, including equity in the league and payments from Adidas and Apple, should result in Messi earning $150 million over the next 2.5 years, which is not bad considering he is 36 and nearing the end of his illustrious career.
Cristiano Ronaldo – $536,336,818 Over 2.5 Years
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has been one of the highest-paid athletes throughout his career, not only because of his salary but also because he is one of the most marketable soccer players globally.
Ronaldo earns a reported $1 million per sponsored Instagram post because he is the most followed celebrity on the social media/photo-sharing platform.
In 2020, Ronaldo became the first active team sport athlete to surpass $1 billion in career earnings, an incredible figure that continues to increase.
Although Ronaldo’s career is entering its twilight, that did not stop Saudia Arabian team Al Nassr from offering him a 2.5-year deal worth $536,336,818, the equivalent of $214,534,727 per year or $7,151,158 per game.
Patrick Mahomes – $450 Million Over 10 Years
Patrick Mahomes held the record for the largest contract awarded in professional North American sports before Shohei Ohtani’s massive contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL) rewarded Mahomes with a ten-year, $503 million deal after he guided the Chiefs to Super Bowl glory at the end of the 2019 season.
However, after he and the Chiefs restructured the contract, Mahomes’ deal is now worth $450 million. Although he may receive less money overall, his restructured deal guarantees him $210.6 million between 2023 and 2026, the most money in NFL history over four seasons.
Mahomes will still only be 34 when his current contract expires, so expect him to sign another record-breaking contract before he hangs up his helmet and retires from professional football.
Karim Benzema – $447,302,608 Over Two Years
Fifth on the list is another soccer player taking full advantage of the Saudi Super League flexing its financial muscles to lure in top talent. Frenchman Karim Benzema spent 14 years at Real Madrid, where he was always among the top earners.
In 2023, aged 36, Benzema stalled on signing a new short-term contract with Real Madrid due to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad’s interest in him.
Rumors circulated about how much Al-Ittihad was prepared to pay for Benzema’s deadliness in front of goal, and it turned out that figure was $447,302,608 over two seasons, matching the annual salary and payment per game of former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Benzema, a former Ballon d’Or winner, proves that money does not always buy you happiness, even if that sum of money is approaching half a billion dollars. Sports media outlets report that he is looking for a way to return to European soccer after struggling to adapt to life in Saudi Arabia.
