Jay Cohen, Associated Press
18 minutes ago
FILE – Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani pitches during a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 21, 2023 in Anaheim, California. Ohtani agreed to a record-setting 10-year contract worth $700 million on Saturday, December 9th. Dodgers. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
Shohei Ohtani, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Patrick Mahomes, Mike Trout. Five of the world’s top athletes have achieved numerous feats with their respective teams.
The pay is good too.
Ohtani found success on Saturday, agreeing to a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is arguably the biggest deal in the history of North America’s four major sports.
Ohtani will join an exclusive list of sports stars with financial records along with record-breaking numbers on the field. Here’s a closer look at the highest-paid athletes in sports.
Shohei Otani
Ohtani is essentially the combination of two elite baseball players, and his new contract with the Dodgers reflects his unique skill set and immense value.
The two-way star unanimously won his second American League MVP award this year. He batted .304 with 44 home runs, 95 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases for the Los Angeles Angels. The right-handed pitcher started 23 games and had a record of 10 wins, 5 losses, and an ERA of 3.14.
His average annual salary of $70 million is nearly double the roughly $42.3 million he earned with the Angels. He also has more salary totals this year than Baltimore and Oakland.
lionel messi
Like Ohtani, Messi’s contract shows his value to the team on and off the field.
Messi, 36, gave Major League Soccer a major boost in June when he announced plans to join Inter Miami. He won the men’s Ballon d’Or, which is awarded annually to top soccer players, for a record eighth time in October.
Messi’s contract with Inter Miami is for two-and-a-half seasons, with an annual salary of $50 million to $60 million, and a total contract value of $125 million to $150 million in cash only.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo’s success at Manchester United came to an abrupt end after he criticized manager Erik ten Hag and the club’s owner in a television interview.
Although he was far from the attention of top European football, it didn’t take long for him to sign a lucrative new contract. Saudi Arabian club Al Nasr announced a year ago that they had signed Ronaldo to a contract until June 2025. His contract is reportedly worth up to $200 million a year.
patrick mahomes
Mahomes is one of the NFL’s biggest stars and is paid accordingly.
The 28-year-old quarterback recently agreed to a restructured $450 million, 10-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in September. Under the revised contract, the reigning league MVP will be paid $56.85 million this season, $44.5 million next season, $50 million in 2025 and $56.76 million in 2026.
Mahomes threw for a franchise-record 5,250 yards last season, with a league-leading 41 touchdown passes and just 12 interceptions.
mike trout
Before Ohtani, Trout had the largest contract in MLB history.
The slugging outfielder signed a 12-year contract with the Angels in March 2019 worth $426.5 million. The three-time AL MVP has been plagued by injuries in recent years, playing in just 424 of Los Angeles’ 708 recent regular season games. five seasons.
Trout, 32, made his major league debut in 2011. He batted .301 with 368 home runs and 940 RBIs in 1,489 career games.
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