- It’s no secret that the world’s most talented athletes earn unfathomable amounts of money each year.
- Some of the biggest names in sports make millions of dollars in mere minutes, and the very top earners can bring home seven figures in just a few seconds.
- OLBG analyzed the the earnings of the 100 highest-paid athletes of the past 12 months using Forbes’ 2020 list to determine which superstars make the most per minute.
- Check out rankings of the top 55 athletes who make the most money for each minute they spend competing.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
1. Conor McGregor — $47,999,976 per minute
Sport: Mixed Martial Arts
Total earnings: $32 million
Time competing: 40 seconds
2. Deontay Wilder — $1,095,238 per minute
Sport: Boxing
Total earnings: $46 million
Time competing: 42 minutes
3. Canelo Álvarez — $1,060,606 per minute
Sport: Boxing
Total earnings: $35 million
Time competing: 33 minutes
4. Tyson Fury — $877,193 per minute
Sport: Boxing
Total earnings: $50 million
Time competing: 57 minutes
5. Anthony Joshua — $631,579 per minute
Sport: Boxing
Total earnings: $36 million
Time competing: 57 minutes
6. Kirk Cousins — $56,863 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Minnesota Vikings
Position: Quarterback
Total earnings: $58 million
Time competing: 17 hours
7. Carson Wentz — $54,020 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Position: Quarterback
Total earnings: $55.1 million
Time competing: 17 hours
8. Jared Goff — $48,958 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Los Angeles Rams
Position: Quarterback
Total earnings: $47 million
Time competing: 16 hours
9. Julio Jones — $41,667 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Atlanta Falcons
Position: Wide Receiver
Total earnings: $37.5 million
Time competing: 15 hours
10. Drew Brees — $41,389 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: New Orleans Saints
Position: Quarterback
Total earnings: $29.8 million
Time competing: 12 hours
11. Alexis Sánchez — $41,275 per minute
Sport: Soccer
Team: Inter Milan
Position: Forward
Total earnings: $24.6 million
Time competing: 9 hours and 56 minutes
12. Paul Pogba — $37,705 per minute
Sport: Soccer
Team: Manchester United
Position: Midfielder
Total earnings: $23 million
Time competing: 10 hours and 10 minutes
13. Neymar — $36,988 per minute
Sport: Soccer
Team: Paris Saint-Germain
Position: Forward
Total earnings: $70.5 million
Time competing: 31 hours and 46 minutes
14. Marcus Mariota — $34,833 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Las Vegas Raiders
Position: Quarterback
Total earnings: $20.9 million
Time competing: 10 hours
15. Grady Jarrett — $34,375 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Atlanta Falcons
Position: Defensive Tackle
Total earnings: $33 million
Time competing: 16 hours
16. Andrus Peat — $34,242 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: New Orleans Saints
Position: Offensive Guard
Total earnings: $22.6 million
Time competing: 11 hours
17. Tom Brady — $32,353 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position: Quarterback
Total earnings: $33 million
Time competing: 17 hours
18. Michael Thomas — $30,980 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: New Orleans Saints
Position: Wide Receiver
Total earnings: $31.6 million
Time competing: 17 hours
19. Darius Slay — $30,714 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Position: Cornerback
Total earnings: $25.8 million
Time competing: 14 hours
20. Robert Quinn — $29,167 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Chicago Bears
Position: Outside Linebacker
Total earnings: $24.5 million
Time competing: 14 hours
21. Quinnen Williams — $28,462
Sport: Football
Team: New York Jets
Position: Defensive End
Total earnings: $22.2 million
Time competing: 13 hours
22. Ryan Tannehill — $28,000 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Tennessee Titans
Position: Quarterback
Total earnings: $25.2 million
Time competing: 15 hours
23. Shaq Thompson — $27,976 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Carolina Panthers
Position: Outside Linebacker
Total earnings: $23.5 million
Time competing: 14 hours
24. Lionel Messi — $27,273 per minute
Sport: Soccer
Team: FC Barcelona
Position: Midfielder
Total earnings: $72 million
Time competing: 44 hours
25. Matt Ryan — $26,667 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Atlanta Falcons
Position: Quarterback
Total earnings: $24 million
Time competing: 15 hours
26. Trae Waynes — $25,104 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Position: Cornerback
Total earnings: $24.1 million
Time competing: 16 hours
27. Dante Fowler Jr. — $25,000 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Atlanta Falcons
Position: Defensive End
Total earnings: $24 million
Time competing: 16 hours
28. Amari Cooper — $24,896 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Dallas Cowboys
Position: Wide Receiver
Total earnings: $23.9 million
Time competing: 16 hours
29. Christian McCaffrey — $24,479 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Carolina Panthers
Position: Running Back
Total earnings: $23.5 million
Time competing: 16 hours
30. Philip Rivers — $23,958 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Indianapolis Colts
Position: Quarterback
Total earnings: $23 million
Time competing: 16 hours
31. Arik Armstead — $23,246 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: San Francisco 49ers
Position: Defensive Tackle
Total earnings: $26.5 million
Time competing: 19 hours
32. Calais Campbell — $22,917 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Baltimore Ravens
Position: Defensive End
Total earnings: $22 million
Time competing: 16 hours
33. Bobby Wagner — $22,685 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Carolina Panthers
Position: Running Back
Total earnings: $23.5 million
Time competing: 16 hours
34. Ezekiel Elliott — $22,188 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Dallas Cowboys
Position: Running Back
Total earnings: $21.3 million
Time competing: 16 hours
35. D.J. Reader — $21,863 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Position: Defensive Tackle
Total earnings: $22.3 million
Time competing: 17 hours
36. Paul Millsap — $21,209 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Denver Nuggets
Position: Forward
Total earnings: $22.8 million
Time competing: 17 hours and 55 minutes
37. Cristiano Ronaldo — $21,149 per minute
Sport: Soccer
Team: Juventus
Position: Forward
Total earnings: $60 million
Time competing: 47 hours and 17 minutes
38. Mike Conley Jr. — $20,837 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Utah Jazz
Position: Guard
Total earnings: $24.4 million
Time competing: 19 hours and 31 minutes
39. Derek Carr — $20,833 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Las Vegas Raiders
Position: Quarterback
Total earnings: $20 million
Time competing: 16 hours
40. Paul George — $20,295 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Position: Forward
Total earnings: $24.8 million
Time competing: 20 hours and 22 minutes
41. Nick Bosa — $20,088 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: San Francisco 49ers
Position: Defensive End
Total earnings: $22.9 million
Time competing: 19 hours
42. Aaron Rodgers — $19,537 per minute
Sport: Football
Team: Green Bay Packers
Position: Quarterback
Total earnings: $21.1 million
Time competing: 18 hours
43. Karl-Anthony Towns — $17,270 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Position: Center
Total earnings: $20.5 million
Time competing: 19 hours and 47 minutes
44. Gareth Bale — $16,983 per minute
Sport: Soccer
Team: Real Madrid
Position: Forward
Total earnings: $19.7 million
Time competing: 19 hours and 20 minutes
45. Gordon Hayward — $16,389 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Boston Celtics
Position: Forward
Total earnings: $24.6 million
Time competing: 25 hours and 1 minute
46. Joel Embiid — $15,576 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Position: Center
Total earnings: $20.7 million
Time competing: 22 hours and 9 minutes
47. Kemba Walker — $15,452 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Boston Celtics
Position: Guard
Total earnings: $24.6 million
Time competing: 26 hours and 32 minutes
48. Andres Iniesta — $15,429 per minute
Sport: Soccer
Team: Vissel Kobe
Position: Midfielder
Total earnings: $26.6 million
Time competing: 28 hours and 44 minutes
49. Russell Westbrook — $15,223 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Houston Rockets
Position: Guard
Total earnings: $29 million
Time competing: 31 hours and 45 minutes
50. Kawhi Leonard — $15,216 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Position: Forward
Total earnings: $25 million
Time competing: 27 hours and 23 minutes
51. Chris Paul — $14,478 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Position: Guard
Total earnings: $29 million
Time competing: 33 hours and 23 minutes
52. Kyle Lowry — $14,203 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Toronto Raptors
Position: Guard
Total earnings: $27 million
Time competing: 31 hours and 41 minutes
53. D'Angelo Russell — $14,118 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Position: Guard
Total earnings: $20.5 million
Time competing: 24 hours and 12 minutes
54. Khris Middleton — $13,975 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Position: Forward
Total earnings: $23.1 million
Time competing: 27 hours and 33 minutes
55. LeBron James — $13,467 per minute
Sport: Basketball
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Position: Forward
Total earnings: $28.2 million
Time competing: 34 hours and 54 minutes
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