Top 10 Most Expensive Sports Contracts in History

These athletes are rich. The salaries you’re about to discover for the world’s highest-paid athletes don’t include the additional money they make through endorsements. Here are the 10 biggest contracts in the history of sports.

10. Manny Machado (Baseball): $350 million

Manny Machado, age 32, plays third base and shortstop for the San Diego Padres. He also serves as a designated hitter. In his second season in the MLB, he led the league in doubles with 51. He’s won 12 Gold Glove Awards and made the All-Star team five times. Machado’s 10-year contract with the Padres earns him $31.8 million annually.

9. Aaron Judge (Baseball): $360 million

Aaron Judge, age 32, is an outfielder for the New York Yankees. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2017 and won the MVP in 2022. He broke Roger Maris’ 61-year-old record for most home runs in a single season, hitting 62. Judge’s nine-year contract pays him an annual salary of $40 million.

8. Mookie Betts (Baseball): $365 million

Mookie Betts Dodgers — Photo by Erik Drost

Mookie Betts, age 31, plays right field and shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s an eight-time All-Star, a six-time Silver Slugger Award winner, a six-time Gold Glove Award recipient, and won the American League MVP in 2018. His 12-year contract with the Dodgers earns him $30.4 million annually. Outside of baseball, he’s also a professional bowler.

7. Canelo Alvarez (Boxing): $365 million

Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez, age 34, has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, from light middleweight to light heavyweight. He is the only boxer in the sport’s history to become the undisputed champion in the super middleweight division. Alvarez made Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes three times (2019, 2022, and 2023).

6. Mike Trout (Baseball): $426 million

Mike Trout, age 33, plays center field for the Los Angeles Angels. He’s an eleven-time MLB All-Star, three-time American League MVP, and a nine-time winner of the Silver Slugger Award. In 2019, Trout signed a 12-year contract with the Angels. At the time, it was the second-highest contract in North American sports history. Trout earns $30.4 million annually.

5. Karim Benzema (Soccer): $436 million

French soccer player Karim Benzema, age 36, is considered one of the best strikers ever. He currently plays for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad. He was lured away from Real Madrid with a 2023 contract that gives him an annual salary of over $200 million. It’s one of the highest payouts in soccer.

4. Patrick Mahomes (Football): $450 million

Patrick Mahomes, 28, has led the Kansas City Chiefs to six consecutive AFC championship game appearances and four trips to the Super Bowl since becoming the starting quarterback in 2018. He’s one of only five quarterbacks in NFL history to win three or more Super Bowls as a starter. Mahomes’ 10-year Chiefs’ contract earns an annual salary of $45 million.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer): $533 million

Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, is a legend. He’s won 33 trophies and holds the records for appearances, goals, and assists. He shocked the world by leaving Europe to join a Saudi Arabian club, Al Nassr, in 2023. His 2 1/2-year contract earns him a salary of $210 million a year.

2. Lionel Messi (Soccer): $674 million

Forward for the Inter Miami and the Argentina national team, Lionel Messi is considered one of the greatest players of all time. Now 37, he’s won nearly every major title on the field, both with a team and individually. At the time, his four-year deal with FC Barcelona in 2017 was the most expensive sports contract ever.

1. Shohei Ohtani (Baseball): $700 million

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, age 30, is the first player in MLB history to win MVP by unanimous vote twice. He holds several MLB records and is considered one of the greatest players in history, drawing comparisons to Babe Ruth. His $700 million contract is the largest in professional sports history.