The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 25 And Under For 2024

Kylian Mbappé is top of the earnings table for the second consecutive year as two new names from the NBA join the ranks.

By Matt Craig, Forbes Staff

After another promising Champions League run ended unceremoniously for Paris Saint-Germain, in a semifinal loss last week to underdog German club Borussia Dortmund, star striker Kylian Mbappé declined to answer questions about his future. Most believe the 25-year-old French phenom’s departure this summer to Real Madrid is a foregone conclusion.

Then again, soccer pundits were also certain Mbappé would jump to the Spanish giants in 2022. His last-minute change of heart to stay in France Ligue 1 was spurred on by a personal plea from French president Emmanuel Macron himself, and a contract that Forbes estimates paid him at least $90 million per year.

That princely sum, in addition to endorsement deals with Nike, Oakley and Hublot, brought the 25-year-old Mbappé’s estimated earnings over the past 12 months to $110 million, enough to make him the sixth highest-paid athlete in the world.

It’s far more than anyone his age (or younger) earned last year. Just five of the 50 top-earning athletes are 25 or younger, collecting a combined $319.5 million over the last 12 months, including $250.5 million from their playing salaries and bonuses. The other $69 million comes from endorsements, appearances, licensing, memorabilia and any businesses they run.

Reaching that level of earning power at such a young age continues to be a rare accomplishment, as most major American sports leagues have a restricted salary scale for players in their first few years competing. Players in MLB often don’t even make it to free agency before their 26th birthday, and NHL salaries trail other sports even for veterans.

However, the upper echelon of athlete pay does appear to be getting younger. New maximum contract extension rules in the NBA and lucrative signing bonuses in the NFL have allowed more players to cash in while still in their 20s. The average age of the top 50 athletes is just over 31 years old this year (down from 33 a year ago), with 22 athletes making the cut under the age of 30 (17 last year).

Having completed their rookie contracts and played their first season under league-maximum extensions, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson make their debuts on the earnings list this year, joining Manchester City forward Erling Haaland and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic as returning names.

Here’s how they ran up the score on earnings.

#1 • $110 million

Kylian Mbappé

Team: Paris Saint-Germain | On-Field: $90M | Off-Field: $20M | Age: 25

Regardless of where Mbappé laces up his cleats next season, the Paris Saint-German forward remains one of the most in-demand players in world soccer. His on-field wages remain the highest in the sport outside of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi-sized contract with Al-Nassr. And while PSG fell short in Champions League play, Mbappé has won France’s domestic Ligue 1 title in six of seven seasons since joining the club, and he has been the league’s top scorer for six straight years. He has also been a fixture on Forbes’ top 50 highest-paid athletes list since his debut in 2020 as a 21-year-old, and with endorsements for premium brands such as Nike, Oakley, Hublot and Dior, he’s likely to stay in the top 10 for years to come.

#2 • $61 million

Erling Haaland

Team: Manchester City | On-Field: $46M | Off-Field: $15M | Age: 23

The dynamic Manchester City striker had a historic first season in the Premier League, setting the record for most goals scored in a season as his team won the league title as well as the FA Cup and Champions League, the second-ever continental treble. As one of the new faces of world soccer, the 23-year-old Norwegian was rewarded with a massive Nike contract, the cover of the EA SPORTS FC24 video game, and endorsement deals from fashion (Dolce & Gabbana), fitness (Prime Hydration) and lifestyle (Beats By Dre) brands. Haaland is under contract with Manchester City through 2027 but did little to reassure the team’s supporters when he responded to transfer rumors by telling reporters in March, “you never know what the future brings.”

#3 • $55.1 million

Luka Doncic

Team: Dallas Mavericks | On-Field: $40.1M | Off-Field: $15M | Age: 25

The Dallas Mavericks star point guard launched his own production company last year, 77x, and its first project was a short-form documentary series following Doncic’s Slovenian national team during the FIBA Basketball World Cup. Relative to other MVP-caliber ballers, the 25-year-old’s endorsement portfolio is on the light side—he represents Nike’s Jordan Brand, sports card maker Panini and the Slovenian Tourism Board. He makes most of his money from a supermax contract extension he signed in 2022, and should he stay with the Mavs when he becomes eligible for his next extension in 2025, he could be looking at a five-year deal worth more than $350 million.

#4 • $47.3 million

Trae Young

Team: Atlanta Hawks | On-Field: $40.3M | Off-Field: $7M | Age: 25

Thanks to an All-NBA third team selection during the 2021-2022 season, the 25-year-old Atlanta Hawks sharpshooter qualified for a supermax extension that will escalate to nearly $49 million per season by 2026-2027. In the first year of the deal, Young earned his third All-Star bid before missing extended time with a torn ligament in his finger. Off the court, he launched his own podcast last summer and, in September, bought a small stake of a Major League Pickleball team to go with longtime sponsorship deals with Adidas and Sprite.

#5 • $46.1 million

Zion Williamson

Team: New Orleans Pelicans | On-Field: $34.1 million | Off-Field: $12 million | Age: 23

In the future, the New Orleans Pelicans forward’s paydays will be tied for closely to his health. After playing just 29 games in the 2022-2023 season, a contract stipulation was triggered that meant Williamson’s five-year, $197 million extension would no longer be guaranteed after the 2024-2025 campaign. This season, he played a career-high 70 games. With more than five million followers on Instagram, Williamson still commands high endorsement fees for sponsors such as Gatorade, Mountain Dew and Nike’s Jordan Brand, which just released the Zion 3 signature shoe in April.

^METHODOLOGY

Information about the methodology Forbes uses to compile the list, which captures income the athletes collected between May 1, 2023, and May 1, 2024, can be found here.

With additional reporting by Brett Knight and Justin Birnbaum.