10 of the Richest Athletes in the World in 2030?
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Sports stars are amongst the highest earners in the world, with individual and team players making millions a year on the field, and often a few million extra with off-the-field deals such as sponsorships. Although there are people making a lot more, there are only a few billionaires in the world of sports, you would need to rake in at least $45 million a year in order to make it to the Forbes top 50 of Highest-Paid Athletes.
Let’s clarify that in this article we talk about the athletes that could make the most in 2030. If we would look at net worth, the list would be boring and filled with familiar names such as Michael Jordan (worth 3+ billion) and Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo, with their estimated wealth of around $1.5 billion. A new star would need to make hundreds of millions a year for years in a row in order to join that list.
The best paid sports
What would you guess the best paid sport is? If you’d say soccer, or football as we call it in Europe, you’d be close, but wrong. On average a basketball player in the American NBA earns a base salary of over $10 million a year. If we look at the best paying teams however, we see that the first place does go to a soccer team: Real Madrid pays an average salary of $13.7 million just beating the $13.5 million of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Looking at individual sports we see golfers, boxers, tennis players and racing drivers that make tens of millions a year. On top of the leaderboard of individuals according to Forbes, we find Jon Rahm, a 29 year old Spanish citizen that managed to make over 200 million. This is similar to what Ronaldo’s transfer to Al Nassr is supposed to have earned him.
New names for the future
As mentioned we’re not interested in seeing athletes like David Beckham survive on the rich list long after retiring from sport thanks to endorsements, advertising, investments etc. We are interested in what potential players might rise to great heights over the next few years.
In order to avoid this article becoming a list of the greatest and most promising basketball and football players, we will also explore talents from other sports that might be lesser known to the general public.
American Football
The challenge with naming American football players when looking at the future, is their retirement age. Although 2030 is just 6 years away, the average age a football player retires is 27-28 years old. This means that the talents are now just about fresh out of highschool.
Let’s have a look at some of the top highschool recruits of the past few years.
Caleb Williams was born in 2001 and led his highschool team to a championship title. He continued to impress in college, starting as a backup but quickly earned a starter position and became a star. Williams’ most successful year was in 2022 when he won the prestigious Heisman Trophy Award, given to the best college football player in the US. With his impressive stats, including over 40 touchdown passes in a single year, many believe he has a bright future and could be among the top-earning athletes by 2030.
Travis Hunter Jr., is another star on the rise. Born in 2003 he plays both offence and defence for the Colorado Buffaloes, but started as the top recruit ever for an FCS school at Jackson State. In 2023, he won the Paul Hornung Award and earned All-American honours while lighting up the field on both sides of the ball.
Soccer
From American football we go to ‘European’ football, or soccer. According to a FIFA estimation, there are more than 120,000 professional soccer players worldwide which, when compared to not even 2000 players in the NFL, means there is a lot more competition and talent that could reach true stardom.
When we also take into account that a career as a professional player usually lasts well into their thirties, and that wages usually keep rising, we will probably already have heard of the players that could be considered the new Messi or Ronaldo.
Kylian Mbappé, already a phenom at 25-years old, has cemented his legacy with a World Cup final hat-trick and continues to dominate Ligue 1 with PSG. His blistering pace and deadly finishing make him a nightmare for defenders. While his career might feel “on hold” playing in Ligue 1, his much-anticipated move to Real Madrid this summer will likely coincide with a significant salary increase. This transfer, coupled with his continued dominance on the global stage for both club and country, will solidify his place as one of the game’s top earners in a few years.
Harry Kane, the England captain, has quietly become a goal-scoring machine. Despite playing for a team not always on his level, he consistently racks up 30+ goals per season and is on track to shatter the Bundesliga’s single-season record. His unique blend of finishing prowess, playmaking ability, and intelligent positioning makes him arguably the best natural striker in the world. As he enters his prime earning years, expect his club, Bayern Munich, to reward his loyalty and unmatched goal-scoring with a massive contract.
Basketball
As mentioned, basketball players are among the highest earners in sport. In large part this is because the biggest competition, the NBA in the US, sees and rewards their players as true stars. Just like with soccer, we will likely already know the players that will lead the salary leaderboard in 2030 as income peaks around their 30th birthday or later. Here are two players we think might be right up there.
Luka Doncic, the Slovenian star drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2018, has established himself as a scoring machine over the past years. This 6-foot-7 guard is already a team leader, having earned an All-NBA selection and leading his team to the playoffs multiple times. Doncic’s dominance is reflected in his hefty contract, making him one of the NBA’s highest-paid players. Look for his star to continue to rise, potentially propelling him to even higher earnings by 2030.
Victor Wembanyama, was the top pick in the 2023 draft, and is bursting with potential. At 7-foot-4, he blends size and athleticism with shooting and elite defence. Dominating France’s top league, he won MVP while leading in scoring, rebounds, and blocks. This translated to the NBA, shattering rookie records and making him the league’s leading rookie blocker. His well-rounded game positions him to be a future superstar and one of the highest-paid athletes by 2030.
Esports
Esports are still steadily growing, attracting millions of viewers and players can earn millions. Although some good points can be made against calling pro-gamers athletes, we do add them to this list. Not only because ‘sport’ is in the name of the game, but because their reaction times and accuracy are very much physical skills that can and need to be trained in order to become the best.
Up to this day the number one earner in esports is Johan “N0tail” Sundstein who made $7 million in his career, but at 30 he has retired. Who will break this record by 2030 is less certain than that DOTA and Counter Strike will still be popular competitive games, but lets give you a name anyway:
FaZe H1ghSky1, or Patrick Bragaru is a 17 year old Romanian-American competitive esport gamer who broke a number of records just with his age alone. He was the youngest competitive Fortnite player ever and also the youngest member of FaZe Clan, an American eSports organisation.
His age also got him into trouble, or actually lying about it did. Supported by his parents who recognized his talent, they allowed him to join teams and compete at 11 years old, which is 2 years short of the legal age in California. This resulted in a ban on Twitch and he was forbidden to play Fortnite competitions coming of age. If not for his gaming performance, maybe his Twitch or Youtube streaming will get him a spot on the list of highest earners.
Golf
Golf, often viewed as a leisurely pursuit for the wealthy, also boasts some of the highest-paid athletes in the world. Unlike other sports, a skilled golfer can dominate for over decades, just look at Tiger Woods who is still a professional player. This longevity, combined with lucrative sponsorships and tournament winnings, paves the way for significant wealth accumulation. Here are two young golfers on the rise who have the potential to be topping the earnings charts by 2030.
Ludvig Åberg is a Swedish golfer who has quickly risen to the top of the sport since turning professional in June 2023. Already a decorated amateur player, Åberg has achieved success on both the European Tour and PGA Tour in a short time, including a win at the Omega European Masters and the RSM Classic. This quick rise, coupled with his talent and marketability, makes him a golfer with the potential to be among the highest earners in the sport by 2030.
Scottie Scheffler is a golfer on the fast track to becoming one of the sport’s highest earners. Scheffler’s dominance, with back-to-back Players Championship wins and two Masters titles, has solidified his place among the elite. His world number one ranking and youthful charisma make him a perfect brand ambassador. While a recent arrest might cause a stir, his ability to bounce back and his open faith open doors for sponsors targeting specific demographics. All this positions Scheffler for a future filled with lucrative opportunities.
Racing
Finally, for our last ‘prediction’ we look at the ultimate form of racing: Formula 1. We only have to look at the last seasons and it’s clear that we can only suggest one name:
Max Verstappen, the Dutch driver, keeps showing his incredible talent and winning races. Of course, unlike any other sport his success largely depends on his car, but RedBull seems to have that part fully under control. Only 26 years old, we expect Max to still be firmly on top in 6 years, and getting handsomely rewarded for that. Not only with prices, but also financially.