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Eat your heart out, fellow commoner. Our editorial team tours the globe this week to find the world’s richest athletes and provide you with their stunning earning figures.

Data from the Sports Preview website and correct as of the summer of 2009.

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100% Statistics, based of the sportsperson’s estimated annual earnings from playing and from endorsements for the year up to August 2009.

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8 ) Ronaldinho, Brazil, Football (US$34.5m per annum) Many may consider Ronaldinho as a has-been, after all, he may not even be going to the upcoming World Cup at all. However, he pay check is likely to suggest otherwise. The Brazilian has massive contracts with first Barcelona and later AC Millan. On top of that, a large chunk of his annual income comes from endorsements with Nike, Pepsi and Cadbury.

7) LeBron James, United States, Basketball (US$35.5m) For a while now, people has been calling LeBron James as the “next Michael Jordan”. On the court, he still has some way to go to reach that status, but in terms of money-making he is perhaps much closer to Jordan. He signed a $90-million contract with Nike even before he started playing professionally and that payout is still contributing significantly to his multi-million annual take home salary.

6) Kobe Bryant, United States, Basketball (US$36.2m) A rape accusation back in 2003 may have threatened to ruin his career, but Bryant had certainly bounced back. He won the NBA Champions with LA Lakers last year and was named as the Finals MVP (Most Valuable Player). Besides a multi-million contract with Nike, Bryant has lucrative contracts with Coca-Cola, Nutella and McDonald’s. He also has his own series of video games made by Nintendo.

5) Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Formula One (US$40.7m) The unflappable Finn may no longer be a Formula One driver, but in 2009, he was the highest paid Formula One driver with Ferrari. He repaid his team justly when he won the World Drivers’ Championship in 2008 but was deemed no longer good enough for the 2010 season. Raikkonen is currently taking part in the World Rally Championship, where he is expected to be paid just a small fraction of his salary he once drew from Ferrari.

3) Phil Mickelson, United States, Golf (US$41.7m) Mickelson earned $10million in prize money in 2009 and the rest from appearance and sponsorship fees. Currently in his 18^th year as a professional golfer, he has won every major title in the sport, though his achievements are somewhat overshadowed by fellow American Tiger Woods. His endorsements deals include those with Ford, Rolex and Callaway golf clubs.

3) Michael Jordan, United States, Basketball (US$41.7m) Tied at third sort is ex-Basketball player Michael Jordan. The fact that he is still drawing over US$40m a year six years after retirement is a testament to his legacy in the game. Nowadays, Jordan still works as the director of basketball operations for Charlotte Bobcats, but bulk of his annual income comes from royalties paid to him by Nike for the Nike Jordan brand.

2) David Beckham, England, Football (US$46.8m) At 35, Beckham is at the tail-end of his career, playing domestic football for both AC Milan and LA Galaxy. The MLS club reportedly pays him US$5m a year and the rest of his fortunes come from huge endorsement deals with Adidas, Motorola and Pepsi. Recently, he stated that he is interested in football franchise ownership, which should not be a problem financially. Manchester United is for sale I heard?

1) Tiger Woods, United States, Golf (US$107m) In 2009, Tiger Woods’ annual income is nearly twice more than any other sports person on the planet. He has a multi-million contract with Nike and endorses American Express, Gillet, TAG Heuer, amongst others. This is all, of course, before his scandal broke out in late 2009. His comeback tournament at the Masters suggests that he is still to be reckoned with on the golf course, but he has already lost many of his global endorsements. Still, it may not be much of a bother to Tiger, whose entire wealth is estimated to be about US$750m.

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