Shohei Ohtani joins big-money club with massive $700m deal

Baseball star outpaces Messi, Ronaldo, Mahomes for highest-paid athlete title

Published: December 10, 2023 09:28 Compiled by Christian Borbon, Senior Web Editor and AP

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Shohei Ohtani: Ohtani cashed in on his success on Saturday, agreeing to a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is almost assuredly the biggest deal in the history of the four major North American sports. Image Credit: AP

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Lionel Messi: Like Ohtani, Messi's contract is indicative of his value to his team on and off the field. Messi's Inter Miami deal is for 2 1/2 seasons, and it pays him between $50 million and $60 million annually — putting the total contract value between $125 million and $150 million in cash alone. Messi is no stranger to big-money contracts. According to an El Mundo report , Messi's deal with Barcelona that he signed in 2017 was worth up to $673 million over four seasons. Image Credit: AFP

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Cristiano Ronaldo: Ronaldo landed a lucrative deal — albeit far away from the spotlight of top European soccer. Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr announced a year ago that it had signed Ronaldo to a contract that runs to June 2025. It's reportedly worth up to $200 million per year. Image Credit: AFP

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Patrick Mahomes: Mahomes is one of the NFL's biggest stars — and he is paid accordingly. The 28-year-old quarterback just agreed to a restructured version of his $450 million, 10-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in September. Under the revised deal, the reigning league MVP makes $56.85 million this season, $44.5 million next season, $50 million in 2025 and $56.76 million for the 2026 season. Image Credit: AP

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Mike Trout: Before Ohtani, Trout had the biggest contract in MLB history. The slugging outfielder finalized a $426.5 million, 12-year deal with the Angels in March 2019. The three-time AL MVP has been hampered by injuries in recent years, appearing in just 424 of Los Angeles' 708 regular-season games over the last five seasons. Image Credit: AP

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Shohei Ohtani joins big-money club with massive $700m deal

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