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Neymar tops athletes under 30 rich list after picking up $90m in 2018

  /  autty

He may have had his ups and downs on the pitch this season, but Neymar's bank balance is laughing after it has been revealed he is the world's highest-earning athlete under the age of 30.

The Brazilian superstar enjoyed a lavish 2018, in which he raked in money on a scale like never before.

Such is Neymar's pulling power as an elite talent in world football and a brand in of himself, the former Barcelona star pulled in over double the amount of NBA star name James Harden during 2018.

Research from AmericanGambler has presented the top 30 athletes, under 30, who enjoyed the most lavish incomes during the year of 2018.

Neymar features as one of four footballers to make the list, alongside Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale and Manchester United’s Paul Pogba.

Former Chelsea star Oscar is surprisingly the fourth footballer, after making vast earnings following his switch to the Chinese Super League.

With Neymar blazing a financial trail on $90million (£70m), no athlete really comes close in terms of overall earnings - which comprise a combination of annual salary along with supplementary endorsements.

Being one of the most marketable faces in world sport, Neymar has benefited massively from his multi-million contracts with some of the biggest brands in the world.

American giants Nike invest heavily into Neymar, along with the likes of Gillette, Red Bull, Beats by Dre, Replay and Gol Airlines.

Second to Neymar in the table is basketball superstar Harden of the Houston Rockets, who banked $46,400,000 in 2018 (£36m).

Just behind him is Mexican boxer Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, who pulled in $45,500,000 (£35m) from his exploits in the ring.

That particular title of highest earning boxer was certainly one Britain's Anthony Joshua had his eye on, after dominating the heavyweight division with a ruthless edge until his recent shock defeat by Andy Ruiz Jr.

Joshua features inside the top 10 of under-30 earners, and finished 2018 with a cash injection of $39m (£30m) into his bank account.

The two highest earning under-30 golfers in the world also hail from America, in the shape of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, whilst the only tennis star to feature is Japan’s Kei Nishikori thanks to his lucrative $33M worth of endorsements in 2018.