The best paid sports stars in the world

In American football, the top stars still earn a lot of money without even having to win titles. Matthew Stafford could not lead his Detroit Lions into the Super Bowl, but the 30-year-old quarterback brings in a yearly salary of €50.7 million.

Another quarterback who hasn't made it to the Super Bowl: Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons. Having earned €57.4 million last year, he is (at least financially) ahead of Super Bowl winner Nick Foles (Philadelphia Eagles) and superstar Tom Brady (New England Patriots), who are both outside the top 100 earners.

Stephen Curry, the man for the special moments. He is known for his accuracy from the three point line or even further. His 'magical throwing hand ' brings him annually €65.6 million — only one basketball player gets more.

What a comeback for the man from Switzerland. Two grand slam titles, seven tournament victories and a match record comparable with his peak. Roger Federer returned in 2017 in impressive style, and thus earned €65.8 million as he returns to the top ten.

His fans just call him "King James". The undisputed superstar of the NBA has won three championships and clinched four MVP titles. James signed a lifelong advertising contract with Nike in 2015, which contributes a large chunk of his annual income of €72.9 million.

In football terms, he is still in the shadow of Ronaldo and Messi — and financially too. Although his €222 million transfer made him the most expensive player of all time, his annual income is still behind his big rivals at a mere €76.7 million.

Who is Conor McGregor? A mixed martial arts fighter who crossed into boxing for one huge fight against superstar Floyd Mayweather in August 2017. This Irishman predictably lost the fight, but earned €63.9 million in one night, five times the amount of his best-paid MMA fight. He made €84.4 million in the year.

The Portuguese superstar drops from first place to third in the list, despite increasing his income from €83 to €92.1 million. Not good for his ego. But anyone who knows Ronaldo knows this will only make him more ambitious.

Cynics might say part of the €94.6 million annual income of Lionel Messi belongs to the Spanish taxpayer (allegedly). His Barcelona salary accounts for €71.6 million of the total income, with sponsorship deals — including a huge deal with Adidas — accounting for most of the rest.

Yes, professional boxers live dangerously and risk a lot for their career. But this sum more than makes up for the pain. Floyd Mayweather Jr. took home a staggering €242.9 million in 2017. That is €4,670,000 per week, or in other words, an hourly wage of €27,728!

That would be Sebastian Vettel. However, the four-times Formula One world champion slipped from rank 14 to 18, despite increasing his income by €2 million to €36 million per year. His rival Lewis Hamilton (43.5 million euro) is ranked 12th. Vettel is the only German athlete in Forbes' top 100 ranking.

Equal pay for men and women? Definitely not in professional sports. Not a single woman finds herself in the Forbes list of the 100 best paid athletes. Serena Williams slips out of the rankings after taking last year off to have a baby, having been at number 51 the year before. Her annual salary of €15.7 million is nice comfort, but also a sad reflection on the world of sport.