Professional athletes are rare specimens of peak health and performance in a given sport. They risk receiving concussions and breaking bones, and have to live under constant scrutiny by the masses. For their effort, they sign contracts with salaries that surpass more than the average person makes in a lifetime. The most successful athletes transcend to celebrity status and appear in movies, sign multi-million dollar brand deals, and date supermodels. They end up being worth a godly amount. Here are 7 athletes whose net worth will definitely shock you.
7. Lionel Messi
Arguably one of the most gifted soccer players in the world, Lionel Messi makes a lot of money. The Argentinian soccer player has won almost every award he can and deserves to be crowned as the world’s best player. At the ripe age of 20, he started dating the gorgeous Antonella Roccuzz, and has stayed loyal to both her and his family. Before the age of 30, he was estimated to be worth a staggering $280 million, but that number is increasing yearly. Because he has so much, he likes to give back; Messi has a history of donating to charities around the world.