With Lewis Hamilton pushing for a new five-year, £250m deal at Mercedes, making him the sport’s biggest earner again at £50m-a-year, the question is where he sits with his new deal compared to other big sports stars.
Hamilton remains the face of Formula 1 – even at 38 – and while he struggles to keep up with Max Verstappen on race days, this new deal would see him finally overtake the Dutchman off the track.
The mega deal would NOT make him the #1 best esports contract ever, but put him in the top four.
In football in particular – and in Saudi Arabia in particular – the money is reaching breathtaking heights.
Mail Sport takes a look at the biggest deals in the world of esports…
Lewis Hamilton has demanded a five-year deal if he wants to stay at Mercedes. Cristiano Ronaldo has the most expensive contract in sport at £173m a year
Football is king and that has never been truer than it is right now in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Money has been piling up across the Saudi Pro League since Cristiano Ronaldo forced his way out of Manchester United and ended up at Al-Nassr – with the help of a heated interview with Piers Morgan.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s contract is worth a whopping £173million a year – making him the comfortable No. 1 in the battle for the highest annual salary in sport.
The Ronaldo Effect has transformed the Saudi Pro League in terms of interest from fans around the world and has also persuaded other top stars to make the switch.
Take Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante as an example: he skyrocketed his earnings by joining Al-Ittihad.
The soft-spoken French footballer is believed to be fetching a whopping £86million annual salary on a two-year deal in Saudi Arabia.
One of his new team-mates will be Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema, who joined the Middle East from Real Madrid on his own £86million-a-year contract.
Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech are all being pursued and there is no sign of the money drying up.
Aside from the three most lucrative deals to date – Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami is littered with perks that make it difficult to quantify exactly what he can earn in 12 months in the US – it’s Formula 1, the NBA and the NFL who bring him to the central stage.
N’Golo Kante was introduced as an Al-Ittihad player after joining as a free agent. Kante joins striker Karim Benzema, who was unveiled as an Al-Ittihad player this summer
Should Hamilton land his big new deal to stay with Mercedes, he would end up in fifth place, relegating his bitter Red Bull rival Verstappen, who earns £40million a year from his five-year contract, to tenth.
BIGGEST CONTRACTS IN SPORT (PER YEAR)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) – £173m a year
N’Golo Kante (Al-Ittihad) – £86m
Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad) – £86m
Lewis Hamilton (F1) – £50m
Steph Curry (GSW) – £42.8m
Zach Lavine (Bulls) – £42.79m
Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) – £42m
Lamar Jackson (Ravens) – £41.4m
Jalen Hurts (Eagles) – £40.27m
Max Verstappen (F1) – £40m
Kevin Durant (Suns) – £37.46m
Mail Sport are aware that the seven-time world champion wants to continue racing until the age of 43 and earn £250million in the process. However, it remains to be seen if the team is willing to bow to that request.
A source with knowledge of the lengthy negotiations told us: “Lewis wants five years and if it was just a one-year extension I don’t think he would accept that.”
“Maybe they have to find a compromise because while George (Russell) has probably come to terms with the idea of Lewis being there for a few years, he might not accept being overshadowed by his teammate in the long term.”
“Ferrari is always tempting, but Lewis will probably think his only hope of winning his eighth title is staying where he is.”
“Money is not a delay factor.”
Outside of the top four, American sports stars rank sixth through ninth.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry takes home £42.8m each season, while Chicago Bulls star Zach Lavine earns just under Curry’s £42.79m.
NBA Finals MVP and two-time league MVP from the Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic is on a £42million-a-year contract.
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (right) earns the highest salary in the NBA. Max Verstappen is currently the highest-paid driver in Formula 1 – but that title is in jeopardy
Two NFL quarterbacks also crack the list of top 10 salaries in sports.
Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson won his match with the franchise and secured a mega deal that netted him £41.4million a year.
While the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts is just ahead of Jackson in earning £40.27million each season.
Verstappen is currently the highest paid driver in Formula 1 but that will change if Hamilton gets the huge five-year deal he is aiming for.
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