Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in sport has been laid bare in Forbes’ 2023 list of the world’s 10 highest-paid athletes, with four having links to the Middle Eastern country.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s position at No 1 (US$136m) may not come as a shock after doubling his salary in the move to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr – bumping Lionel Messi to No 2 ($130m) in the process – but the inclusion of two golfers among the football and basketball millionaires is a departure from previous lists.
Dustin Johnson (No 6, $107m) and Phil Mickelson (No 7, $106m) are two of LIV Golf’s main players, Johnson being the first to make the switch from the PGA Tour in 2022. Johnson didn’t even crack the top 50 earners last year, while Mickelson was a regular in the top 10 between 2006 and 2016. But despite players losing some sponsorship since switching to LIV, the Saudi-backed tour’s bonuses and guaranteed cash seem to have fill that void.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of using sport to distract from its human rights abuses, rising number of executions, lack of press freedom and oppressive treatment of women and the LGBTQI+ community. The country ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 and in March it executed a man during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan for the first time since 2009.
Saudi Arabia extended its influence to the Premier League in 2021 when its Public Investment Fund took over ownership of Newcastle United. The brother of a man executed by the country said its Formula One race legitimised its “heinous crimes”. Cricket is also on the horizon.
While LIV’s most recent tour stop in the Australian city of Adelaide was greeted with much fanfare and went off without protester interruption, Saudi Arabia is not getting a free run everywhere. Its efforts to become an official sponsor of the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand were met with immediate backlash from event organisers, the local football community including national players, as well as human rights groups and the Australian government.
Despite Fifa president Gianni Infantino admitting defeat over the potential contract, he insisted Saudi Arabia was still a good fit to support the women’s game and there are reports of the country leading a joint bid for the 2026 men’s World Cup.
Saudi Arabia is not the only Middle Eastern oil country influencing the list. Messi’s on-field millions come from his Qatari-owned club Paris Saint-Germain, which is also home to France international Kylian Mbappé (No 3, $120m).
Messi, who was on Tuesday suspended by PSG after an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia, drops down to second with $130m total earnings. There are rumours the Argentinian World Cup hero, who holds a tourism role for Saudi Arabia, could return to Barcelona but there is also speculation he could join Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League.
Qatar has its own appalling record of human rights abuses which, despite Fifa’s best efforts, were highlighted during the country’s hosting of the men’s 2022 World Cup.
There were no women in the top 10 but last year Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams made the top 50. LeBron James (No 4, $119.5m), Canelo Álvarez (No 5, $110m), Stephen Curry (No 8, $100.4m), Roger Federer (No 9, $95.1m) and Kevin Durant (No 10, $89.1m) made up the rest of the Forbes 2022 top 10 list.
