Lewis Hamilton richest sports star on Sunday Times Rich List with £224MILLION fortune after making £37m last year
LEWIS HAMILTON’S potentially ground-breaking switch to Ferrari will not be dictated by money — after the Mercedes star was announced as one of the wealthiest British sportsmen in history.
The F1 superstar is in the middle of a mega-money tug-of-war between two of racing’s biggest, rivals with Sebastian Vettel set to leave Ferrari.
Mercedes are reportedly ready to increase his current deal from £40m to £60m to keep a hold of one of the most successful racers in modern history.
But six-time World Champ Hamilton, 35, should have eyes purely on winning more titles after it was announced he was worth a whopping £224m.
Sitting atop the sportsmen in the 32nd annual Sunday Times Rich List, Hamilton’s value has increased by £37m thanks to his current Mercedes contract as well as his array of sponsorships.
He has now overtaken the likes of David Beckham, who at the time of his retirement from playing in 2013 was worth £200m.
Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy find himself just below with £170m — up £32m from last year — and Anthony Joshua’s worth shot up an incredible £58m to total £107m.
HUGE BALE OF CASH
The British office box-office regular earned £18m for his loss to Andy Ruiz Jr, before earning a pre-tax sum of £60m in the rematch.
Joshua’s rise has him second in the Young Sportsman Rich List, the only non-footballer present.
AJ is just below Gareth Bale, whose exploits with Real Madrid over the past six years sees him valued at £114m — up £20m.
The rest of the Young Rich List is dominated by footballers, with Paul Pogba (up £13m to total £50m) and Kevin De Bruyne (up £9m to total £34m) in third and fourth.
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Pogba is one of five Manchester United players to feature, including David De Gea (£34m), Anthony Martial (£20m), Luke Shaw (£19m) and Odion Ighalo (£18m).
While some surprise names appear quite high up as new entries to the list, with former Arsenal teammates Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere (both £18m) tied in 15th.
For the full list go to: thesundaytimes.co.uk/sportrichlist