How does Lewis Hamilton's new contract compare to the likes of Conor McGregor, Rory McIlroy and Gareth Bale?
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Your support makes all the difference.Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has finally agreed a new deal with Mercedes, understood to be worth £40-million-a-year until the end of 2020.
Although Mercedes did not reveal specifics of Hamilton's contract extension it is understood that the four-time world champion will earn up to £40million a year until the end of 2020.
The 33-year-old’s new contract cements his status as Britain's biggest sporting earner as well as the best-paid driver in Formula One history.
But where does he rank among other sportspeople? Here, we take a look at some of the other British and Irish stars to feature on 2018 Forbes list of the 100 top earners from around the world.
Conor McGregor - £77.5millon (99million US Dollars)
The Mixed Martial Arts fighter from Dublin sits at number four in the Forbes list, which is headed by boxer Floyd Mayweather. It was his lucrative Las Vegas bout against the American which helped swell the earnings of UFC star, who banked an estimated 85m US Dollars (£66.5m) for the contest. Although he was defeated, McGregor signed several sponsorship deals around the showdown, from Burger King and Beats by Dre to Betsafe. The 30-year-old Irishman also generates additional revenue from digital ventures such as Conor McGregor's FAST extreme performance training plan.
Anthony Joshua - £30.5million (39million US Dollars)
The second-highest earning British sportstar behind Hamilton, who sits 12th with £40m (51m US Dollars), heavyweight boxer Joshua enjoyed a successful, and lucrative, year. His victory over Joseph Parker saw almost 1.5m pay-per-view purchases, with a crowd of some 78,000 packed into Cardiff's Principality Stadium. The 28-year-old, who won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, is signed up with sponsors such as Under Armour, Jaguar and Lucozade Sport. In the ring, Joshua can expect another bumper payday from his upcoming fight against Alexander Povetkin at Wembley - with potential money-spinning showdown against WBC champion Deontay Wilder also on the horizon.
Rory McIlroy - £29.5million (37.7million US Dollars)
Golfer McIlroy saw his progress last year hampered by injuries, but continued to be in demand for sponsorship deals, signing a 10-year extension with Nike and a long-term tie-up with TaylorMade - which, according to Forbes, brought in more than his tournament earnings. McIlroy's form improved over the early part of 2018, claiming the Arnold Palmer Invitational title in March and then tied fifth at The Masters. However, the Northern Ireland golfer, 29, went on to miss the cut at both The Players Championship and the US Open, where he carded a first-round of 80.
Gareth Bale - £27million (34.6million US Dollars)
Wales forward Bale, who scored twice as Real Madrid beat Liverpool to win the 2018 Champions League final, has a lucrative contract - reported to be worth some £26m - with the Spanish giants, which is set to run until June 2022. Bale also has a long-term sponsorship deal with Adidas. As Wales were not at the World Cup, he also took part in a light-hearted summer advertising campaign for on-line shopping.
Wayne Rooney - £21million (27million US Dollars)
Veteran striker Rooney found himself at 58 in the Forbes list, remaining one of the top-10 highest-earning football players for the 11th year running. After returning to boyhood club Everton from Manchester United in July 2017, the 32-year-old recently completed a move to Major Soccer League franchise DC United - which is said to be worth some £300,000
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