Sporting rich list 2009

Eurosport takes a look at sport's top-20 earners in 2009, with a certain Tiger Woods comfortably topping the list ahead of his recent scandal.

It's impossible to say what Tiger Woods's serial womanising will do to his bank balance, but the world's number one golfer was the highest-earning sportsman in 2009 before his altercation with a fire hydrant.

Already one sponsor has parted company with Woods, and his agents will surely need to renegotiate with those sticking by their former cash cow after his decision to take a break from golf and lie low for the foreseeable future.

The following rich list was compiled before the Woods scandal broke, when he was clearly sport's biggest fat cat for the fifth year running, while David Beckham is the highest-earning non-American at number three on the top-20 list that includes six athletes from the NBA, and three each from the worlds of football, formula one and golf.

1. Tiger Woods - £59.3m

As mentioned, Woods's earnings will doubtless take a hit following his "transgressions", but probably not enough to stop him becoming the world's first billion dollar sportsman in the next couple of years. Already his career earnings are close to $800m and, assuming he returns to golf in the next few months, he is likely to pass the magic billion dollar mark before he breaks Jack's record of 18 Majors. Nike and Upper Deck have promised to stick by Woods, Gillette, AT&T, Pepsico and Tag Hauer are still assessing the situation, while Accenture have dropped him altogether.

2. Phil Mickelson - £31.6m

With Woods out of the way for the time being, Mickelson will hope to take advantage by increasing his on-course earnings, but Lefty still has some way to go before he can match his great rival's pulling power - despite the scandal. However, the likes of Rolex and Callaway must be delighted that they chose a man who has remained loyal to their values, and whose popularity is growing steadily.

3. David Beckham - £26.9

Golden Balls is the highest non-American athlete on the list and a sportsman whose earnings from endorsements and advertising far exceed his salary for playing football. That said, Beckham has the potential to earn £128m from his five-year deal with LA Galaxy in MLS, and if he achieves his aim of making the England squad for the 2010 World Cup then 'brand Beckham' will continue to bring him vast riches.

4. LeBron James - £25.3m

James is approaching the end of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers and, after finishing last season as the NBA's MVP and a five-times first-team All Star, he is in a powerful position to renegotiate his salary. Endorsement deals with the likes of Nike and State Farm Insurance are said to boost the 6'8" small forward's coffers by twice the amount of his salary.

5. Kimi Raikkonen - £23.9m

Ferrari were clearly hoping for a better return on their investment as Raikkonen finished a lowly sixth on the 2009 drivers' standings. They had, after all, made him the highest-paid driver in Formula One on the back of his 2007 world title and 18 grands prix victories. The Finn and Ferrari had issues with their relationship and he was replaced at the Italian marque by Spain's double world champion Fernando Alonso before announcing he was taking a break from F1 to compete in the World Rally Championship with Citroen next year.

6. Manny Pacquiao - £23.8m

The Filipino pugilist has defeated all before him of late and if the rumours of a showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr are to be believed then his bank balance is set for an even bigger boost next year. Indeed, he would be higher up the list had his earnings from his latest victory over Miguel Cotto been included. Pacquiao is a true hero in the Philippines - so much so he has very real ambitions to go into politics - and is the perfect role model for the likes of sponsors San Miguel and Nike.

7. Lionel Messi - £23.7m

The best footballer on the planet: that's what most fans think and certainly what the powers at Barcelona thought when they offered him a massive contract at Camp Nou through to 2016. The Argentine is said to be paid £8.5m-a-year by the Spanish giants, who think so highly of their prized investment that they included a whopping £222m buy-out clause in his contract. Messi's earning potential could increase considerably now that Argentina have secured a World Cup stage on which he can display his remarkable talents.

8. Alex Rodriguez - £23.3m

The baseball star enjoyed a £19.7m salary in 2009 as part of a massive 10-year deal with the New York Yankees said to be worth $275m in total, the richest is baseball history. And while he picked up several more millions in endorsements, this income stream could be limited after he admitted this year that he had taken steroids earlier in his career.

9. Valentino Rossi, Fernando Alonzo and Shaquille O'Neill - £20.9m

All three have highly-lucrative deals with their respective teams, as well as healthy endorsement incomes. Shaq received an £11.9m salary, Rossi £9.5m and Alonso a reported £12.5m as part of a two-year contract with now former team Renault.

12. Kevin Garnett - £20.7m

13. Yao Ming - £19.7m

14. Lewis Hamilton - £19.6m

15. Kobe Bryant - £18.6m

16. Roger Federer - £17.6m

17. Allen Iverson - £17.3m

18. Vijay Singh - £17.1m

19. Derek Jeter - £16.9m

20. Ronaldinho - £16.3m