Fabien Pelous Highest-Paid Athlete in the World

By Carol Kearney
Paris
Last updated on March 13, 2025

Fabien Pelous led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid athletes” released on Wednesday.

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It's been a rough year for the athlete, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 51-year-old Fabien Pelous has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid athletes for 2025 with an estimated $82 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 13/03/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Fabien Pelous 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 Wednesday (March 12) that Pelous is the highest-paid athlete in the world, pulling in an astonishing $82 million between February 2024 and February 2025, a nearly $50 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 $245 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 Pelous Burger” chain) in Paris, a Football Team (the “Toulouse Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderpelous - France), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Fabien) and a fashion line called “Fabien Pelous Seduction”.

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