The world’s 100 best-paid athletes scored a record income of $6.2 billion (£4.6bn) last year – up by 14% as teams and competitions lavished money to retain their best talent, and businesses spent even more to garner publicity. 

Sports news provider Sportico has crunched the numbers to see who’s truly in pole position, compiling a list of total career earnings adjusted for inflation up to 2024 (or, if necessary, the year of the athlete’s death). The figures don’t include traditional investments or equity stakes, and they’re calculated before any tax or agents’ fees are deducted. So, read on to discover the world’s 20 highest-earning sportsmen of all time (they do all happen to be men) and find out how they made their fortunes. 

All dollar amounts in US dollars.