Forbes 2021 richest athletes: Find out who beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis may have hampered the operations of several key sports events but it has not affected the earning capacity of top athletes across the globe. Here are the top 10 highest-paid athletes from the Forbes list. (Image: Reuters)

10#Kevin Durant | The American basketball player and NBA star earned $75 million last year. (Image: Reuters)

9# Tom Brady| American football legend and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback earned $76 million last year to emerge ninth in the list. (Image: AP)

8# Lewis Hamilton| Racing legend and Mercedes’ Formula One driver earned a whopping $82 million. (Image: Reuters)

7#  Roger Federer/ Arguably the greatest men's tennis player of all time came seventh in the list after earning $90 million last year.

6#. Neymar: The Brazilian soccer superstar became the brand ambassador for Puma. His earning in the last year was $ 95 million.

5# LeBron James| The winner of the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) title on several times, James earned $96.5 million last year.

4# Dak Prescott|  The 27-year-old, who plays American football earned $107.5 million last year. (Image: Forbes)

3.# Cristiano Ronaldo| The soccer legend earned $120 million last year.

2# Lionel Messi| The Argentine soccer maestro earned $130 million last year.

1#Conor McGregor| The retired MMA superstar tops the list by earning $180 million last year.