Le top mondial des salaires
De A pour Albanie à Z comme Zimbabwe, vous saurez tout, tout, sur les salaires des sportifs les mieux payés du monde. C'est une enquête étonnante - quoique contestable sur certains chiffres - que propose ESPN dans sa livraison de mai et en ligne cette semaine sur le site Internet du magazine américain. Pays par pays (182 au total !), l'étude dresse la liste des plus hauts salaires annuels de la planète sport, hors primes et contrats publicitaires. Le magazine indique en regard de chaque salaire le revenu moyen par habitant.
Exemple, en Albanie, le sportif le mieux payé est le footballeur Lorik Cana, ex-OM et PSG, avec un salaire annuel estimé à 2,5 millions de dollars (1,7 million d'euros environ), soit... 6500 fois le salaire annuel moyen du petit pays des Balkans. Selon ESPN, le sportif français le mieux payé se nommerait Franck Ribéry, avec 9,7 millions d'euros. Un chiffre en deça des estimations françaises qui tiennent compte de l'ensemble des revenus. A cette aune, Thierry Henry et Tony Parker devancent le milieu international du Bayern.
Malouda, Pietrus, Turiaf et... Santoro
Les premiers salaires sportifs en Inde et au Pakistan sont sans surprise ceux de joueurs de cricket. Les joueurs de baseball tiennent le haut du pavé aux Etats-Unis et au Canada. Le cycliste Andy Schleck est le sportif le mieux payé du Luxembourg tandis qu'en Italie, Valentino Rossi et sa moto GP dominent le classement. Au top également, un golfeur aux Fidji, un coureur à pied en Ethiopie, un pilote auto en Finlande (Räikkönen) etc, etc.
Le tableau proposé par ESPN désigne encore Florent Malouda (Chelsea) comme le sportif le mieux payé en Guyane. Mickaël Pietrus (Phoenix Suns) est le roi des salaires sportifs en Guadeloupe comme Ronny Turiaf (New York Knicks) l'est en Martinique. A Tahiti, émerge le nom de Fabrice Santoro, l'ancien tennisman, natif de l'île française, qui est crédité d'un revenu annuel de 13 300 euros. Une donnée à prendre du bout de la raquette...
Best-paid athletes from 182 countries
This story appears in the May 2, 2011, issue of ESPN The Magazine.
"Annual Salary" represents only base salary from the most recently completed season or calendar year from each sport, and excludes any other source of compensation, unless otherwise noted. In countries where official salary figures were unavailable, we estimated the number based on information from multiple sources, including leagues, agents, consulates, embassies, sports federations, cultural centers and the U.N. All figures converted to U.S. dollars. Per Capita GDP (Gross Domestic Product), a leading indicator of national wealth, is the market value of a country's goods and services divided by its population; we used most recently available GDP data for each country.
Sports represented: soccer 114, basketball 18, baseball 12, auto racing 6, golf 5, American football 5, hockey 5, cricket 4, boxing 3, track and field 3, rugby 2, tennis 2, badminton 1, cycling 1, motorcycle racing 1, sumo 1, yachting 1.
| Country | Best-Paid Athlete | Sport | League, Team (or Competition) | Annual Salary | Per Capita GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | Lorik Cana | soccer | Turkey, Galatasaray | $2,500,000 | $3,846 |
| Algeria | Nadir Belhadj | soccer | Qatar, Al Sadd | $2,779,000 | $4,029 |
| American Samoa | Domata Peko | American football | NFL, Cincinnati Bengals | $2,950,000 | $7,874 |
| Andorra | Ildefons Lima | soccer | Switzerland, AC Bellinzona | $531,822 | $43,770 |
| Angola | Manucho | soccer | Turkey, Manisaspor | $865,579 | $1,892 |
| Argentina | Carlos Tevez | soccer | EPL, Manchester City | $19,000,000 | $7,666 |
| Armenia | Henrikh Mkhitaryan | soccer | Ukraine, Shakhtar Donetsk | $360,000 | $2,770 |
| Australia | Andrew Bogut | basketball | NBA, Milwaukee Bucks | $11,050,000 | $47,615 |
| Austria | Thomas Vanek | hockey | NHL, Buffalo Sabres | $6,400,000 | $45,563 |
| Azerbaijan | Aleksandr Samedov | soccer | Russia, Dynamo Moscow | $1,287,000 | $4,871 |
| Bahrain | Abdullah Omar Ismail | soccer | Switzerland, Neuchatel Xamax | $202,086 | $24,409 |
| Bangladesh | Shakib Al Hasan | cricket | IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders | $425,000 | $550 |
| Belarus | Alexander Hleb | soccer | EPL, Birmingham City | $3,300,000 | $5,090 |
| Belgium | Vincent Kompany | soccer | EPL, Manchester City | $5,340,000 | $44,254 |
| Benin | Stephane Sessegnon | soccer | EPL, Sunderland | $2,800,000 | $739 |
| Bermuda | Reggie Lambe | soccer | England (D3), Bristol Rovers | $480,000 | $101,346 |
| Bolivia | Marcelo Moreno | soccer | Ukraine, Shakhtar Donetsk | $883,449 | $1,758 |
| Bosnia | Edin Dzeko | soccer | EPL, Manchester City | $8,470,000 | $4,525 |
| Botswana | Mogogi Gabonamong | soccer | South Africa, SuperSport United | $354,000 | $5,959 |
| Brazil | Felipe Massa | auto racing | Formula One | $17,052,632 | $8,114 |
| Brunei Darussalam | Craig Adams | hockey | NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins | $550,000 | $26,385 |
| Bulgaria | Dimitar Berbatov | soccer | EPL, Manchester United | $6,700,000 | $6,458 |
| Burkina Faso | Charles Kabore | soccer | France, Marseille | $1,118,000 | $517 |
| Burundi | Saidi Ntibazonkiza | soccer | Poland, MKS Cracovia | $315,000 | $151 |
| Cameroon | Samuel Eto'o | soccer | Serie A, Inter Milan | $8,000,000 | $1,136 |
| Canada | Jason Bay | baseball | MLB, New York Mets | $18,125,000 | $39,795 |
| Cape Verde | Cafu | soccer | Cyprus, Anorthosis Famagusta | $287,000 | $3,131 |
| Central African Republic | Eloge Enza Yanissi | soccer | France, Troyes | $206,000 | $448 |
| Chad | Misdongarde Betoligar | soccer | Serbia, FK Metalac | $21,500 | $610 |
| Chile | Mark Gonzalez | soccer | Russia, CSKA Moscow | $9,324,958 | $9,623 |
| China | Yao Ming | basketball | NBA, Houston Rockets | $17,700,000 | $3,769 |
| Colombia | Juan Pablo Montoya | auto racing | NASCAR | $5,088,410 | $5,031 |
| Comoros | Kassim Abdallah | soccer | France, CS Sedan Ardennes | $120,000 | $785 |
| Cook Islands | Stan Wright | rugby union | Magners League, Leinster | $204,000 | $9,749 |
| Costa Rica | Bryan Ruiz | soccer | Netherlands, FC Twente | $1,720,828 | $6,395 |
| Ivory Coast | Yaya Toure | soccer | EPL, Manchester City | $18,200,000 | $1,093 |
| Croatia | Luka Modric | soccer | EPL, Tottenham Hotspur | $4,900,000 | $14,273 |
| Cuba | Yuniesky Betancourt | baseball | MLB, Milwaukee Brewers | $4,300,000 | $5,437 |
| Curaçao | Jair Jurrjens | baseball | MLB, Atlanta Braves | $3,250,000 | $20,295 |
| Cyprus | Constandinos Charalambides | soccer | Cyprus, Apoel F.C. Nicosia | $1,589,000 | $29,263 |
| Czech Republic | Petr Cech | soccer | EPL, Chelsea | $7,400,000 | $18,344 |
| Dem. Rep. of the Congo | Herita Ilunga | soccer | EPL, West Ham United | $2,730,000 | $170 |
| Denmark | Daniel Agger | soccer | EPL, Liverpool | $4,500,000 | $56,687 |
| Djibouti | Ismail Ahmed Kadar Hassan | soccer | Slovakia, F.K. Dunajska Streda | $51,500 | $1,076 |
| Dominican Republic | Alfonso Soriano | baseball | MLB, Chicago Cubs | $19,000,000 | $4,618 |
| Ecuador | Antonio Valencia | soccer | EPL, Manchester United | $6,361,983 | $4,206 |
| Egypt (Tie) | Mohammed Zidan | soccer | Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund | $2,580,000 | $2,265 |
| Mohamed Abu Treika | soccer | Egypt, Al Ahly | $2,580,000 | ||
| El Salvador | Arturo Alvarez | soccer | MLS, Real Salt Lake | $201,922 | $3,424 |
| England | Lewis Hamilton | auto racing | Formula One | $18,473,684 | $35,239 |
| Equatorial Guinea | Rodolfo Bodipo | soccer | Spain (D2), Elche | $430,000 | $17,544 |
| Eritrea | Zersenay Tadese | track and field | Road running | $340,000 | $369 |
| Estonia | Ragnar Klavan | soccer | Netherlands, AZ Alkmaar | $2,006,000 | $14,374 |
| Ethiopia | Tilahun Regassa | track and field | Road running | $318,250 | $345 |
| Faroe Islands | Christian Holst | soccer | Denmark, Silkeborg | $1,630,000 | $32,800 |
| Fiji | Vijay Singh | golf | PGA Tour | $1,334,262 | $3,604 |
| Finland | Kimi Raikkonen | auto racing | World Rally Championship | $26,333,333 | $44,688 |
| France | Franck Ribery | soccer | Bundesliga, Bayern Munich | $14,100,000 | $41,226 |
| French Guiana | Florent Malouda | soccer | EPL, Chelsea | $3,441,823 | $8,300 |
| Gabon | Daniel Cousin | soccer | Greece, Larissa | $645,000 | $7,647 |
| Gambia | Ousman Jallow | soccer | Denmark, Brondby | $314,000 | $543 |
| Georgia | Zaza Pachulia | basketball | NBA, Atlanta Hawks | $4,251,250 | $2,522 |
| Germany | Dirk Nowitzki | basketball | NBA, Dallas Mavericks | $17,278,618 | $40,528 |
| Ghana | Michael Essien | soccer | EPL, Chelsea | $5,500,000 | $627 |
| Greece | Theodoros Papaloukas | basketball | Greece, Olympiakos | $4,400,000 | $29,006 |
| Greenland | Jesper Gronkjaer | soccer | Denmark, FC Copenhagen | $923,440 | $22,126 |
| Guadeloupe | Mickael Pietrus | basketball | NBA, Phoenix Suns | $5,300,000 | $7,900 |
| Guatemala | Carlos Ruiz | soccer | MLS, Philadelphia Union | $306,670 | $2,661 |
| Guinea | Ibrahima Yattara | soccer | Turkey, Trabzonspor | $717,000 | $470 |
| Guinea-Bissau | Almami Moreira | soccer | China, Dalian Aerbin | $573,000 | $517 |
| Haiti | Samuel Dalembert | basketball | NBA, Sacramento Kings | $12,200,000 | $626 |
| Honduras | David Suazo | soccer | Serie A, Inter Milan | $5,716,476 | $1,930 |
| Hungary | Zoltan Gera | soccer | EPL, Fulham | $2,970,000 | $12,886 |
| Iceland | Eidur Gudjohnsen | soccer | EPL, Fulham | $2,538,000 | $37,616 |
| India | Ms Dhoni | cricket | IPL, Chennai Super Kings | $1,800,000 | $1,075 |
| Indonesia | Bambang Pamungkas | soccer | Indonesia, Persija Jakarta | $160,000 | $2,349 |
| Iran | Hamed Haddadi | basketball | NBA, Memphis Grizzlies | $1,600,000 | $4,863 |
| Iraq | Nashat Akram | soccer | Qatar, Al-Wakrah | $900,000 | $830 |
| Ireland | John O'shea | soccer | EPL, Manchester United | $6,800,000 | $49,115 |
| Israel | Yossi Benayoun | soccer | EPL, Chelsea | $6,859,267 | $27,061 |
| Italy | Valentino Rossi | motorcycle racing | Moto GP | $20,800,000 | $35,289 |
| Jamaica | Ricardo Gardner | soccer | EPL, Bolton | $2,613,074 | $4,566 |
| Japan | Ichiro Suzuki | baseball | MLB, Seattle Mariners | $18,000,000 | $39,864 |
| Jordan | Odai Al-Saify | soccer | Cyprus, Alki Larnaca | $145,000 | $3,973 |
| Kazakhstan | Nik Antropov | hockey | NHL, Atlanta Thrashers | $3,750,000 | $6,981 |
| Kenya | McDonald Mariga | soccer | Serie A, Inter Milan | $1,300,000 | $739 |
| Kuwait | Bader Al-Mutwa | soccer | Saudi Arabia, Al-Nassr FC | $400,000 | $36,668 |
| Kyrgyzstan | Mirlan Murzaev | soccer | Israel, Hapoel Petah Tikva | $150,000 | $835 |
| Latvia | Andris Biedrins | basketball | NBA, Golden State Warriors | $9,000,000 | $11,505 |
| Lebanon | Youssef Mohamad | soccer | Bundesliga, FC Cologne | $1,074,839 | $8,175 |
| Lesotho | Lehlohonolo Seema | soccer | South Africa, Orlando Pirates | $34,300 | $780 |
| Liberia | Sekou Oliseh | soccer | Russia, CSKA Moscow | $573,000 | $216 |
| Libya | Tariq El Taib | soccer | Libya, Al Ahly Tripoli | $1,130,000 | $9,153 |
| Liechtenstein | Martin Stocklasa | soccer | Austria, SV Ried | $978,800 | $134,392 |
| Lithuania | Linas Kleiza | basketball | NBA, Toronto Raptors | $4,995,000 | $11,211 |
| Luxembourg | Andy Schleck | road bicycle racing | pro cycling | $2,700,000 | $108,706 |
| Macedonia | Goran Pandev | soccer | Serie A, Inter Milan | $4,250,000 | $4,662 |
| Madagascar | Anicet Andrianantenaina | soccer | France, AJ Auxerre | $86,000 | $448 |
| Malawi | Tamika Mkandawire | soccer | England (D2), Millwall | $571,000 | $318 |
| Malaysia | Lee Chong Wei | badminton | BWF Super Series | $106,000 | $6,967 |
| Mali | Frederic Kanoute | soccer | La Liga, Sevilla | $8,600,000 | $679 |
| Malta | Michael Mifsud | soccer | Malta, Qormi | $1,142,000 | $19,543 |
| Martinique | Ronny Turiaf | basketball | NBA, New York Knicks | $4,000,000 | $14,400 |
| Mauritania | Pascal Gourville | soccer | France (D4), Moissy-Cramayel | $353,000 | $866 |
| Mauritius | Diallo Guidileye | soccer | France, Stade Brest | $313,000 | $6,729 |
| Mexico | Jorge De La Rosa | baseball | MLB, Colorado Rockies | $10,000,000 | $7,956 |
| Moldova | Alexandru Epureanu | soccer | Russia, Dynamo Moscow | $1,433,000 | $1,500 |
| Mongolia | Hakuho | sumo | Japan Sumo Wrestling | $400,000 | $1,577 |
| Montenegro | Mirko Vucinic | soccer | Serie A, AS Roma | $6,020,000 | $6,546 |
| Morocco | Marouane Chamakh | soccer | EPL, Arsenal | $4,247,000 | $2,834 |
| Mozambique | Mate Simao Junior | soccer | Greece, Panathinaikos | $516,000 | $418 |
| Northern Ireland | Graeme McDowell | golf | PGA, European tours | $5,176,586 | $35,239 |
| Namibia | Collin Benjamin | soccer | Bundesliga, Hamburg | $1,000,000 | $4,288 |
| Nepal | Santosh Sahukhala | soccer | Nepal, Manang Marshyangdi Club | $8,430 | $452 |
| Netherlands | Nigel De Jong | soccer | EPL, Manchester City | $10,500,000 | $47,889 |
| New Caledonia | Frederic Piquionne | soccer | EPL, West Ham United | $2,972,339 | $37,124 |
| New Zealand | Russell Coutts | yachting | RC 44 Championship Tour | $10,000,000 | $27,384 |
| Nicaragua | Vicente Padilla | baseball | MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers | $2,000,000 | $1,114 |
| Niger | Alhassane Issoufou | soccer | Morocco, FUS de Rabat | $200,000 | $343 |
| Nigeria | John Mikel Obi | soccer | EPL, Chelsea | $5,800,000 | $1,123 |
| Niue | Michael Junior Jackson | track and field | sprinter, per six weeks of training | $5,000 | $5,800 |
| North Korea (Tie) | An Yong-Hak | soccer | J-League, Kashiwa Reysol | $619,107 | $499 |
| Jong Tae-Se | soccer | Germany (D2), VFL Bochum | $619,107 | ||
| Norway | John Carew | soccer | EPL, Stoke City | $4,500,000 | $78,674 |
| Oman | Ali Al Habsi | soccer | EPL, Wigan Athletic | $3,000,000 | $18,876 |
| Pakistan | Shahid Afridi | cricket | Pakistan national team salary (100K), plus est. pro cricket salary (two teams) | $136,000 | $886 |
| Palestine | Fadi Lafi | soccer | Oman, Saham | $65,000 | $1,367 |
| Panama | Carlos Lee | baseball | MLB, Houston Astros | $19,000,000 | $7,155 |
| Papua New Guinea | Nev Costigan | rugby league | NRL, Newcastle Knights | $216,667 | $1,174 |
| Paraguay | Roque Santa Cruz | soccer | EPL, Manchester City | $7,668,947 | $2,314 |
| Peru | Claudio Pizarro | soccer | Bundesliga, Werder Bremen | $5,448,894 | $4,403 |
| Philippines | Manny Pacquiao | boxing | two fights in 2010 | $32,000,000 | $1,747 |
| Poland | Robert Kubica | auto racing | Formula One | $10,657,895 | $11,311 |
| Portugal | Cristiano Ronaldo | soccer | La Liga, Real Madrid | $19,500,000 | $21,807 |
| Puerto Rico | Carlos Beltran | baseball | MLB, New York Mets | $19,325,436 | $24,744 |
| Qatar | Sebastian Soria Quintana | soccer | Qatar, Qatar SC | $391,000 | $69,754 |
| Republic of the Congo | Christopher Samba | soccer | EPL, Blackburn Rovers | $3,000,000 | $2,704 |
| Romania | Cristian Chivu | soccer | Serie A, Inter Milan | $5,013,000 | $7,573 |
| Russia | Andrei Kirilenko | basketball | NBA, Utah Jazz | $17,822,187 | $8,736 |
| Rwanda | Olivier Karekezi | soccer | Sweden, Oster | $52,000 | $527 |
| Samoa | David Tua | boxing | October 2009 bout | $500,000 | $2,926 |
| San Marino | Aldo Simoncini | soccer | Serie A, Cesena | $172,000 | $54,104 |
| Saudi Arabia | Mohammed Noor | soccer | Saudi Arabia, Al-Ittihad | $1,200,000 | $14,353 |
| Scotland | Darren Fletcher | soccer | EPL, Manchester United | $5,000,000 | $35,239 |
| Senegal | DeSagana Diop | basketball | NBA, Charlotte Bobcats | $6,478,600 | $1,018 |
| Serbia | Peja Stojakovic | basketball | NBA, Dallas Mavericks | $15,602,138 | $5,612 |
| Seychelles | Michael Mancienne | soccer | EPL, Wolverhampton | $2,100,000 | $9,354 |
| Sierra Leone | Madieu Williams | American football | NFL, Minnesota Vikings | $2,974,000 | $393 |
| Singapore | Mardan Mamat | golf | Asian, Euro golf tours | $500,609 | $37,394 |
| Slovakia | Marian Hossa | hockey | NHL, Chicago Blackhawks | $7,900,000 | $16,203 |
| Slovenia | Anze Kopitar | hockey | NHL, Los Angeles Kings | $6,000,000 | $24,333 |
| Somalia | Abdisalam Ibrahim | soccer | England (D2), Scunthorpe | $340,000 | $220 |
| South Africa | Ernie Els | golf | PGA Tour | $5,347,012 | $5,707 |
| South Korea | Ji-Sung Park | soccer | EPL, Manchester United | $4,700,000 | $17,225 |
| Spain | Fernando Alonso | auto racing | Formula One | $22,736,842 | $32,605 |
| Sri Lanka | Mahela Jayawardene | cricket | IPL, Kochi Tuskers Kerala | $1,500,000 | $2,112 |
| Sudan | Luol Deng | basketball | NBA, Chicago Bulls | $11,355,850 | $1,305 |
| Suriname | Clarence Seedorf | soccer | Serie A, AC Milan | $4,000,000 | $5,707 |
| Swaziland | Tony Tsabedze | soccer | South Africa, Santos Cape Town | $212,000 | $2,668 |
| Sweden | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | soccer | Serie A, AC Milan | $12,700,000 | $43,903 |
| Switzerland | Roger Federer | tennis | ATP Tour | $7,698,289 | $65,003 |
| Syria | Sanharib Malki | soccer | Belgium, Lokeren | $400,000 | $2,463 |
| Tahiti | Fabrice Santoro | tennis | ATP Tour | $19,500 | $16,858 |
| Taiwan | Hong-Chih Kuo | baseball | MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers | $2,725,000 | $18,500 |
| Tajikistan | Farkhod Vasiev | soccer | Russia, Zhemchuzhina-Sochi | $145,000 | $716 |
| Tanzania | Hasheem Thabeet | basketball | NBA, Houston Rockets | $4,793,280 | $526 |
| Thailand | Thongchai Jaidee | golf | European and Asian tours | $1,400,000 | $3,894 |
| Togo | Emmanuel Adebayor | soccer | EPL, Manchester City | $11,900,000 | $480 |
| Tonga | Chris Kemoeatu | American football | NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers | $2,369,000 | $3,259 |
| Trinidad And Tobago | Anthony Herrera | American football | NFL, Minnesota Vikings | $1,425,000 | $15,782 |
| Tunisia | Karim Haggui | soccer | Bundesliga, Hannover 96 | $820,000 | $3,852 |
| Turkey | Hedo Turkoglu | basketball | NBA, Orlando Magic | $9,800,000 | $8,215 |
| UAE | Ismail Matar | soccer | UAE, Al-Wahda | $360,000 | $54,138 |
| Uganda | Mathias Kiwanuka | American football | NFL, New York Giants | $1,776,000 | $523 |
| Ukraine | Vitali Klitschko | boxing | estimated average per fight | $6-8M | $2,569 |
| Uruguay | Diego Forlan | soccer | La Liga, Atletico Madrid | $7,169,746 | $9,376 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Tim Duncan | basketball | NBA, San Antonio Spurs | $18,700,000 | $13,660 |
| USA | Alex Rodriguez | baseball | MLB, New York Yankees | $32,000,000 | $44,872 |
| Uzbekistan | Maksim Shatskikh | soccer | Ukraine, Arsenal Kiev | $120,000 | $1,199 |
| Venezuela | Johan Santana | baseball | MLB, New York Mets | $21,644,707 | $11,404 |
| Vietnam | Lee Nguyen | soccer | Vietnam, Becamex Binh Duong | 180,000 | $1,058 |
| Wales | Ryan Giggs | soccer | EPL, Manchester United | $6,300,000 | $35,239 |
| Zambia | Chris Katongo | soccer | Greece, AO Skoda Xanthi | $315,300 | $985 |
| Zimbabwe | Benjani Mwaruwari | soccer | EPL, Blackburn Rovers | $3,405,584 | $324 |