Forbes’ list of highest paid African footballers

NAIROBI, KENYA: Sports is big business. This is true globally and in Kenya, sports has created multi-millionaires, especially in athletics. Our sports heroes, however, earn peanuts compared to the dollar billionaires from other parts of the world that owe their riches to their prowess in the field, track, golf courses and other sports arena. A recently released list of the richest sportsmen shows golfer, Tiger Woods, as the highest paid athlete in the world, getting $78.1 million a year in salaries, winnings and endorsements. Tennis player Roger Federer and basketball player Kobe Bryant are second and third respectively.

Globally stars like David Beckham ($47 million), Cristiano Ronaldo ($44 million) and Lionel Messi ($41 million) are the highest earning footballers and ranked eighth, ninth and tenth on the Forbes list. The Forbes list of Africa’s highest paid footballers based solely on their annual salaries are: