Lewis Hamilton is the most affluent active sports star in Rich List history with a £224 million fortune, according to the latest annual figures published by the Sunday Times.
Hamilton’s wealth rose by £37m over the past year, thanks to a lucrative ongoing contract with Mercedes, taking him past the £200m mark boasted by David Beckham at the time of his retirement in 2013.
Rory McIlroy is the only other sports star to make the main Rich List rankings, having seen his fortune rise by £32m to £170m on the back of a return to form and a series of sponsorship deals.
Robert Watts, compiler of The Sunday Times Rich List, said: “Being the best in the world at what you do is well rewarded in any business or profession. Sport is no different, as this year’s Sport Rich List shows once again. It is no co-incidence that Lewis Hamilton and Rory McIlroy – both no 1s in their chosen sports – are the only two sportsmen to make the main Rich List.
Gareth Bale tops sport’s Young Rich List, with his fortune rising £20m to £114m despite a less-than-ideal campaign at Real Madrid.
But he is being pushed by Anthony Joshua, who saw the biggest individual increase in wealth over the last 12 months, rising by £58m to £107m after his lucrative world heavyweight title rematch win over Andy Ruiz Jr. in Saudi Arabia.
Eighteen of the top 50 on the Young Rich List come from sport, with Joshua the only non-football entrant.
He earned £18m of his rise in defeat, losing to Ruiz in New York – his first fight outside of the United Kingdom – and box office numbers for the rematch reached 1.6m at £24.95 per household.
With transfer speculation continuing to follow him, Manchester United’s Paul Pogba is third on the Young List with a fortune of £50m.
France international Pogba is one of five Manchester United players on the list, with goalkeeper David de Gea – with a fresh deal – up to £34m, Anthony Martial on £20m and Luke Shaw on £19m, with the final being a loan player, Odion Ighalo, whose future at Old Trafford remains unclear owing to the coronavirus pandemic and his proposed return to Shanghai Shenhua.
Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante is a new entry, with a value of £25m, while England captain Harry Kane has seen his value rise from £16m to £24m.
Young Rich List Top 10:
1. Gareth Bale (£114m)
2. Anthony Joshua (£107m)
3. Paul Pogba (£50m)
4. Kevin De Bruyne (£34m)
5. David De Gea (£34m)
6. Raheem Sterling (£28m)
7. N’Golo Kante (£25m)
8. Harry Kane (£24m)
9. Daniel Sturridge (£22m)
10. Jordan Henderson (£21m)
