Lionel Messi is the highest paid athlete 2022, where does Virat Kohli stand?

The Argentine footballer Lionel Messi claimed the top spot in Forbes' annual ranking of the world's highest-paid athletes 2022, released on Wednesday. According to reports, Messi earned $133 million over the past 12 months. Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar are the other two footballers on the list.

According to Forbes, 58% of Paris Saint-Germain footballer's income was earned from prize money, salaries and bonuses while the other $55m of his estimated income came from licensing agreements and sponsorship deals.

Also read: From Trophies & titles to a hamburger! Messi burger unveiled in Florida

Basketball star LeBron James stands 2nd on the list ahead of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Neymar comes in at number 4 followed by basketball star Steph Curry. Cricketer Virat Kohli is the only Indian on the list and features on the 61th spot with $33.9 million in earnings.

Also read: Lionel Messi not named in Argentina's squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers