Professional sport is big business, with the world’s top performing athletes earning millions each year. But is this a modern phenomenon, or has it always been the case? We often discuss how our favourite sporting legends would perform against their modern-day counterparts, but how would their salaries match up?
To find out, we compared the money earned by 100 of the greatest athletes of all time, split out across 7 different sports. For basketball, football, Formula 1 and American football, we took a sample of each star’s annual salary during their prime, while for boxing, golf and tennis we took a prize fund from a major tournament or fight. Finally, we used an inflation calculator to work out the modern-day equivalent for all figures in our list.
Michael Jordan v Steph Curry
Muhammad Ali v Floyd Mayweather
Diego Maradona v Lionel Messi
Michael Schumacher v Lewis Hamilton
Jack Nicklaus v Tiger Woods
Joe Montana v Kirk Cousins
Fred Perry v Roger Federer
Billie Jean King v Serena Williams
Living up to his title as ‘Greatest Of All Time’ Michael Jordan’s 1998 Chicago Bulls salary of {{ locale(match[vs].p1.then[curr]) }} would be the equivalent of {{ locale(match[vs].p1.now[curr]) }} today. That’s an impressive 23% more than the NBA’s current highest paid player, Steph Curry earns at the Golden State Warriors.
Muhammad Ali was paid {{ locale(match[vs].p1.then[curr]) }} for his 1988 ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ against George Foreman, the equivalent of {{ locale(match[vs].p1.now[curr]) }} today. Meanwhile, Floyd Mayweather’s 2017 fight against Connor McGregor featured one of the biggest purses in boxing history, with Mayweather earning a reported {{ locale(match[vs].p2.then[curr]) }}, the equivalent of {{ locale(match[vs].p2.now[curr]) }} in 2021 – that’s 1022% more than Ali’s prize fund!
Many similarities have been drawn between Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, with frequent debates over who the better player is. However, when it comes to salary, there is a clear winner. Messi currently earns an annual salary of {{ locale(match[vs].p2.now[curr]) }} at Barcelona, almost 15 times that of Maradona, who was paid {{ locale(match[vs].p1.then[curr]) }} while at Napoli, the equivalent of {{ locale(match[vs].p1.now[curr]) }} today.
Michael Schumacher earned {{ locale(match[vs].p1.then[curr]) }} for his 2004 championship winning year with Ferrari, the equivalent of {{ locale(match[vs].p1.now[curr]) }}. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton earned {{ locale(match[vs].p2.now[curr]) }} for his 2020 championship winning year, just over half of Schumacher’s salary.
Widely considered to be one of the best golfers of all time, Jack Nicklaus earned {{ locale(match[vs].p1.then[curr]) }} for his 1963 victory at The Masters, the equivalent of {{ locale(match[vs].p1.now[curr]) }}. Tiger Woods, on the other hand, earned 12 times that amount for his 2019 Masters win, with a {{ locale(match[vs].p2.now[curr]) }} payout.
As quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Joe Montana was paid a salary of {{ locale(match[vs].p1.then[curr]) }}, which is the equivalent of {{ locale(match[vs].p1.now[curr]) }} today. Kirk Cousins, quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, earns almost ten times that amount, with a salary of {{ locale(match[vs].p2.now[curr]) }}.
When Fred Perry won at Wimbledon in 1936, his prize fund was just {{ locale(match[vs].p1.then[curr]) }}, which is the equivalent of {{ locale(match[vs].p1.now[curr]) }} today. Meanwhile, when Roger Federer won at the same tournament in 2017, his prize fund totalled {{ locale(match[vs].p2.then[curr]) }}, which would be worth {{ locale(match[vs].p2.now[curr]) }} today.
When Billie Jean King won at the 1971 U.S. Open, her prize fund was {{ locale(match[vs].p1.then[curr]) }}, which is the equivalent of {{ locale(match[vs].p1.now[curr]) }} today. Meanwhile, when Serena Williams won at the same tournament in 2014, she was awarded {{ locale(match[vs].p2.then[curr]) }}, the equivalent or {{ locale(match[vs].p2.now[curr]) }} – 100 times what Billie Jean King won!
Methodology
We analysed a wide range of editorial sources, player data, transfer and wage values to understand the changing financials of various sports over time. We then used a historic currency converter to calculate the modern-day equivalent of these salaries or prize funds, and provide a point of comparison between current and past stars of the sporting world. Currency conversion rates accurate as of December 2020.
Please note, this information is for entertainment purposes only and may not be 100% accurate or definitive.
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