Lewis Hamilton is still the richest sportsman in the United Kingdom, with retired 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button in the top five of the new Sunday Times Rich List.
Mercedes Formula 1 driver Hamilton, who is bidding to win his fourth world championship this year, has a £131-million fortune and has seen his wealth increase by £25-million in the last 12 months.
Hamilton made his grand prix debut at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix and since then has made 192 starts, winning 54 times and finishing on the podium on 107 occasions. He won the F1 world title in 2008 with McLaren and also in 2014 and 2015 withe Mercedes.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, United’s 35-year-old Swedish striker has a wealth of £110-million, edged team-mate Wayne Rooney to become the richest footballer on the list after he joined the English team in July last year.
Formula 1’s Jenson Button and golfer Rory McIlroy make up the top five with wealth of £86-million and £82-million respectively.
McIlroy’s fortune rose by £26-million in the last 12 months, the biggest rise on the list, while Button’s personal fortune grew by £9-million even though he handed over his McLaren seat at the end of last season.
Football is the best-represented sport in the top 10, with five of the wealthiest sports people either players or managers.
Rooney (£93-million, up £11-million) is third, while Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is in seventh place (£61-million) and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola equal ninth (£50-million).
Wales and Real Madrid striker Gareth Bale has seen his wealth rise by £20-million in the last year to a total of £54-million, to place him eighth in the top 10.
Sir Andy Murray is now worth £77-million, making him the sixth-richest sportsman. The world number one in men’s tennis earned nearly £13-million on court and plenty more off it to carry him to the total, the same number as that borne by his management company after he won his first Wimbledon 77 years after the last Briton to do so, Fred Perry.
Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Luol Deng completes the top 10 in joint ninth place with Guardiola (£50-million).
None of the top 10 richest sports stars saw their wealth decline this year, with the cumulative rise standing at £129-million.
