Soccer stars top athletes earning list
Anyone who doubts the power and lure of soccer outside of the U.S. only has to take a peak at SI.com's list of the top 20 foreign-born athletes in terms of earnings last year.
Their top 20 list has seven soccer players, more than any other sport. It's topped by that part-time MLS player, David Beckham, who in salary and endorsements hauled in $45.2 million last year, according to SI.com.
Becks is followed by other "football" stars:
Lionel Messi ($39.9 million).
Ronaldinho ($27.4 million).
Cristiano Ronaldo ($25.5 million).
Thierry Henry ($23.7 million).
Kaka ($21.1 million).
Zlatan Ibrahimovic ($19.5 million).
Beckham, by the way, resumes his tour with the L.A. Galaxy when they play the New York Red Bulls in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 16. His first home game this season will be July 19 when the Galaxy play Beckham's past and presumed future team, AC Milan, in an exhibition in Carson.
-- Barry Stavro
Photo: Galaxy's David Beckham in action during the game against DC United in a SuperLiga soccer match at the Home Depot Center on August 15, 2007. Photo credit: Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times.
The list in question here is SI.com's 20 top FOREIGN-BORN athletes. Thus excluding Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, who each made more than Beckham, along with others like LeBron, Kobe...Get your facts straight, Times.
Posted by: jay | July 01, 2009 at 04:05 PM
it seems the only way the galaxy can get compitition or draw crowds is by having exhibitions with teams outside of the U.S., and when they do BOY do us Angelinos GO
Posted by: David Flores | July 01, 2009 at 04:31 PM
It's fun that you american know's squad about football still your posting news about it :)
Tho i'd like to see football as the new sport in your country considering im moving there and I love it :)
Posted by: ye | July 01, 2009 at 11:05 PM