The former England captain pipped the Real Madrid star to eighth place, earning 7.1 million euros at LA Galaxy with 29m euro from various endorsements in 2011.

Ronaldo's salary dwarfed Beckham's, with the Portuguese raking in 16.1m euros for his services at the Santiago Bernabeu last year. He made less from endorsements, however, earning 17.3m euros for his 'extra curricular' activities.

The wing duo, who both wore the No. 7 shirt for Manchester United, brought in a massive 69.6m euros together but that total is only slightly more than the figure boxer Floyd Mayweather recieved for just two fights.

Mayweather, who is currently serving time in prison, earned 67m euros from his fights alone, having received no income from endorsements.

Tiger Woods dropped from top spot to third, with fellow golfer Phil Mickelson coming in just above Beckham in seventh.

Another boxer, Manny Pacquiao, took second place, with basketball stars LeBron James and Kobe Bryant taking fourth and sixth place respectively.

Tennis legend Roger Federer placed fifth, with Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning squeezing onto the list in 10th place.