Jon Rahm to embarrass Cristiano Ronaldo as new world’s richest athlete emerges

Jon Rahm’s confirmed transfer to LIV has achieved greater than rock the world of golf, it has shaken up the hierarchy of sport’s highest earners as effectively. The Spanish world No. 3 confirmed his defection from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-funded breakaway league on Thursday and though the Ryder Cup star wouldn’t be drawn on precisely how a lot he’s being paid to make the swap, studies are suggesting that he might be set to obtain as a lot as £476m in a provide that is just too good to show down.

Even if that mooted determine seems to be barely overestimated, Rahm has undoubtedly nonetheless turn into the highest-paid athlete on the planet in a single day, by a rustic mile.

Before the favored golfer put pen to paper on his life-changing contract, Cristiano Ronaldo was the highest-paid sportsperson on planet Earth, with an estimated revenue of £136m. But the full that Rahm will pocket is greater than 3 times the quantity that the Portuguese legend at present earns. As a end result, Ronaldo has been unceremoniously knocked off his perch into second place, with Lionel Messi (£130m) down to 3rd.

Ronaldo shot to the highest of the record when he accomplished his ultra-lucrative transfer to Saudi Arabian facet Al-Nassr on December 30, 2022. Messi turned down a suggestion to observe his long-standing rival to the Middle East and as an alternative selected to affix MSL membership Inter Miami.

Other world higher-earners within the high 10 embody Paris Saint-Germain ahead Kylian Mbappe (£120m), NBA legend LeBron James (£119.5m) and boxer Canelo Alvarez (£110m).

Rahm’s new LIV Golf friends Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson are the one different two golfers who make it into the highest 10, ranked seventh and eighth with earnings of £106m and £107m respectively, in line with Forbes.

Basketball star Stephen Curry is ninth on the record with earnings of simply over £100m and though he has now retired, tennis all-time nice Roger Federer nonetheless sneaks into the highest 10 because of a £95m revenue.

Rahm now finds himself out on his personal on the high of the pack, one thing that appeared unfathomable a number of months in the past, particularly after feedback he made in regards to the prospect of becoming a member of LIV on the US Open again in June.

He mentioned: “Money is great, but when [wife] Kelley and I… this first thing happened, we started talking about it, and we’re like, will our lifestyle change if I got $400 million? No, it will not change one bit. Truth be told, I could retire right now with what I’ve made and live a very happy life and not play golf again.

“So I’ve by no means actually performed the sport of golf for financial causes. I play for the love of the sport, and I wish to play towards the most effective on the planet. I’ve at all times been curious about historical past and legacy, and proper now the PGA Tour has that.”

It seems that when push got here to shove, Rahm was ready to swap historical past for enormous cash in any case.