10 biggest contracts in sport as LIV Golf ensure Jon Rahm makes history

11 December 2023 , 17:35

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Jon Rahm has signed a record-breaking deal with LIV Golf (Image: AP)

Jon Rahm has become golf's highest paid player by joining LIV Golf, with the Masters champion reportedly signing a £450 million ($600m) deal to sign with the breakaway league.

Rahm followed in the footsteps of the likes of Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, who were all handed deals in excess of £80 million to make the Saudi switch last summer. After Friday's announcement, the Masters champion's contract blows Mickelson and co's figures out of the water, in what is seen as LIV's biggest coup yet.

Not only has the green jacket winner become golf's biggest earner, his alleged deal is one of the biggest in sporting history as a whole, as he joins a star-studded list.

READ MORE: 7 LIV Golf stars including Jon Rahm who went back on their word to join Saudi series

As things stand Rahm's £450 million contract is the third biggest in history, and would have been second if it was not for baseball star Shohei Ohtani. 29-year-old Ohtani made history just a day after Rahm's announcement, penning a £558 million ($700m) contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers to land the biggest sporting contract of all time.

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Between Rahm and Ohtani then comes one of the biggest names in sport, in eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi. Now plying his trade for Inter Miami in the United States, Messi is of course best known for his efforts on the pitch for La Liga giants Barcelona.

Back in 2017 the Argentinian landed the biggest contract in football, and sporting history after signing a four-year deal with Barcelona worth an astounding £534 million ($674m). The deal was reward for Messi becoming arguably the greatest player on the planet, alongside fellow great Cristiano Ronaldo.

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10 biggest contracts in sport as LIV Golf ensure Jon Rahm makes history

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both find themselves on the all-time list (Getty Images)

Unsurprisingly Ronaldo also finds himself on the top contract list, like Rahm, having also benefited from the state of Saudi Arabia. After a public fallout with Manchester United, the Portuguese international signed an eye-watering two-and-half year deal with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in January worth £427 million ($536m).

This rocketed Ronaldo up the all-time contract list into fourth, one place ahead of American football's Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has announced himself as an NFL great in recent years, having won the Super Bowl twice in 2019 and 2022.

On the back of his maiden victory with the Kansas City Chiefs the quarterback was rewarded with the most lucrative deal in NFL history, signing a 10-year deal worth £359 million ($450m). A full list of the top-10 biggest contracts of all time can be found below.

1. Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) - £558 million ($700m)

2. Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) - £534 million ($674m)

3. Jon Rahm (LIV Golf) - £450 million ($600m)

4. Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr) - £427 million ($536m)