Richard Virenque Highest-Paid Athlete in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Paris
  • Last updated on

Richard Virenque
Richard Virenque led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid athletes” released on Tuesday.

It's been a rough year for the athlete, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 56-year-old Richard Virenque has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid athletes for 2026 with an estimated $82 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 04/02/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Richard Virenque tops annual list of highest-paid athletes

In 2023 it looked like the athlete’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Tuesday (February 3) that Virenque is the highest-paid athlete in the world, pulling in an astonishing $82 million between January 2025 and January 2026, 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 Virenque Burger” chain) in Paris, a Football Team (the “Casablanca Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wondervirenque - France), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Richard) and a fashion line called “Richard Virenque Seduction”.

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

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