Schumi topped in sport rich list
2012-05-08 10:06
HUNTED BY THE TIGER: Michael Schumacher has been trounced as the highest-earning sportman by Tiger Woods. Despite their staggering career earnings, their combined wealth pales in comparision to Bernie Ecclestone's fortune.
Formula 1 veteran Michael Schumacher has been trumped in the 'world's richest sportsman' stakes.
According to the UK's Sunday Times annual listings, the seven-times World champion's $823-million (R6.4-billion) in career earnings has been beaten by golfing legend Tiger Woods at R6.7-billion.
Schumacher has out-earned other high-profile sportsmen, among them Michael Jordan (R4-billion), Roger Federer (R2.4-billion) and David Beckham (R2-billion).
DWARFED BY BERNIE
Two other F1 representatives made the top 20 list, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen, with their earnings at R1.2-billion each.
McLaren's World champions Lewis Hamilton (R695-million) and Jenson Button (R664-million) appear only on the list for British sportsmen and they are both outpaced by the R1-billion earned by former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine - mainly through his property investments.
However, Hamilton and Button have each earned more in their careers than David Coulthard, Nigel Mansell, former BAR boss David Richards (all R625-million) and Jackie Stewart (R523-million). Of course that doesn't take into account inflation...
Those earnings, however, are all dwarfed by Bernie Ecclestone's estimated R31-billion, although the 81-year-old F1 chief executive doesn't appear at all on the list of the world's richest overall.
That list is headed by mega-earners such as Sauber sponsor Carlos Slim, who is worth R555-billion.
