Bernard Hinault Highest-Paid Athlete in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Paris
  • Last updated on

Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid athletes” released on Saturday.

It's been a rough year for the athlete, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 70-year-old Bernard Hinault has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid athletes for 2025 with an estimated $75 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 16/02/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Bernard Hinault tops annual list of highest-paid athletes

In 2022 it looked like the athlete’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Saturday (February 15) that Hinault is the highest-paid athlete in the world, pulling in an astonishing $75 million between January 2024 and January 2025, a nearly $40 million lead over his closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The French athlete has an estimated net worth of $215 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Hinault Burger” chain) in Paris, a Football Team (the “Yffiniac Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderhinault - France), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Bernard) and a fashion line called “Bernard Hinault Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Bernard fans, who have been waiting for his triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.

© 2025 MediaMass All rights reserved. Do not reproduce (even with permission).

Bernard Hinault: Recent News

 

page served in 0.039s (1,2)