Wayne Rooney heads Sunday Times Rich List for young sportsmen
Saturday 23 April 2016 10:30, UK
England and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney tops the 2016 Sunday Times Rich List for young sportsmen in Britain.
Rooney has amassed an £82m fortune which makes him the richest sportsman aged 30 or under, a rise of £10m from last year.
The 30-year-old's wealth comes from a reported £300,000-a-week contract at United, which makes him the highest-paid player in the Premier League, as well as endorsements with global brands Nike and Samsung.
Tennis brothers Andy and Jamie Murray are in second place with a joint worth of £58m, though £57m of it is contributed by world No 2 Andy.
Rory McIlroy has enjoyed the biggest increase in wealth, earning an extra £18m to take him up to £56m in total and to third place in the list.
The Northern Irishman earned almost £7m in prize money, but it is off the course where he has made his real cash, with a long-standing deal with Nike and other endorsements with Omega, Bose, Upper Deck sports memorabilia and Electronic Arts being especially lucrative.
Real Madrid's Gareth Bale is up to fourth on the list after a year in which he became the second-richest footballer.
The Welshman earns around £15.6m a year at the Bernabeu in addition to contracts with Adidas, Sony and Electronic Arts. He is worth £34m - a £13m increase from last year.
A host of foreign Premier League stars make up the majority of the rest of the top 10. Sergio Aguero (£33m), David Silva (£31m), Radamel Falcao (£29m), Samir Nasri (£22m) and Eden Hazard (£18) all feature in the list.
Chelsea playmaker Hazard is joint 10th in the standings with boxer Amir Khan, though Khan is likely to add to his wealth when he fights Canelo Alvarez next month.
