2005 SI International 20
Here is the top 10 of the inaugural Sports Illustrated Magazine's International 20 list for the year 2005, ranking the highest paid athletes from around the world (excluding US athletes, they get their own list!).
As with all International 20 lists, this list only includes athletes from outside of the USA, sorted by total earnings (salary, winnings, endorsements and appearance fees). See also the top 10 American athletes on the 2005 Fortunate 50 list.
| Rank | Name | Country | Sport | earnings (US$) | previous year* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Michael Schumacher | Germany | Auto Racing | $81,000,000 | 1 |
| 2. | David Beckham | Great Britain | Soccer | $30,000,000 | 2 |
| 3. | Valentino Rossi | Italy | Motor Sports | $24,500,000 | ? |
| 4. | Ronaldo | Brazil | Soccer | $24,000,000 | ? |
| 5. | Maria Sharapova | Russia | Tennis | $23,006,263 | ? |
| 6. | Vijay Singh | Fiji | Golf | $22,038,699 | ? |
| 7. | Ernie Els | South Africa | Golf | $21,868,386 | ? |
| 8. | Ichiro Suzuki | Japan | Baseball | $20,500,000 | ? |
| 9. | Yao Ming | China | Basketball | $19,436,880 | ? |
| 10. | Dikembe Mutombo | Congo | Basketball | $19,021,511 | ? |
* There is some information about who would have made the International 20 list in 2004 if such a list was made.
Source
- List published on SI.com
Related Pages
- About the International 20, and other Sports Illustrated Lists
- Other sporting lists, including the Forbes list of the World's Best Paid Athletes
- More about the World of Sport
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