Top five highest earners in sport

With the news that Cristiano Ronaldo is set to become football's first billionaire, our weekly Top Five feature runs down a selection of the world's richest sports stars.

Cristiano Ronaldo

The former Manchester United ace is to be offered a staggering £1.5 million a game to take part in a series of friendlies in the Middle East, according to a report in the Daily Star. Ronaldo, bought by Real for £80m in the summer, already earns £12m a year at the Bernabeu, while pocketing a small fortune from a number of endorsement deals and his three clothing boutiques.

Tiger Woods

Woods became the world's first billion dollar athlete after receiving the $10m (£6m) bonus for winning this year's FedEx Cup. The American has 14 Majors and 71 PGA Tour titles to his name but it is his endorsements that have really boosted his bank balance. In 2000, the world number one signed a five-year $105 million (£63.8m) contract with Nike and also has deals with American Express, Buick, TAG Heuer and EA Sports, as well being the face of Gillette (alongside Roger Federer and Thierry Henry), a deal reportedly worth $10m-$20m (£6m-£12m).

Roger Federer

With 14 Grand Slam titles, Federer has brought home millions in prize money as well as having lucrative sponsorship deals with Nike. Rolex, Wilson and Gillette. Federer banked $36m (£21.9) in the 12 months since September 2008 and became the first tennis player to surpass $50m (£29.9m) in career earnings on the court when he won his first-round match at this year's US Open. Appearance fees and sponsorship deals have added another $28m (£17.1m), with his Nike deal alone said to be worth an extra $10m (£6m) annually.

Michael Schumacher

The seven-times world champion was earning a cool $80m (£48.7m) a year at his peak in 2003, when he won his sixth F1 world title. His $40m (£24.3m) annual salary was a record at the time and matched by sponsorship endorsements and championship bonuses. Schumacher has earned an estimated $700m (£426.3) since his Formula One debut in 1991 and continues to add to that as an adviser for former team Ferrari, as well as various media commitments.

Michael Jordan

Jordan retired for the third time six years ago but still rakes in $45m (£27.5m) annually, thanks to his clothing deal with Nike. At his peak with the Chicago Bulls in 1998-9, Jordan earned $69m (£42.1m) a year from his salary and endorsement deals. The Charlotte Bobcats head of basketball operations has earned an estimated total of $800m (£488.5m).

source: eurosport

Quiz of the Decade.

FOOTBALL

1. How many times have Manchester United won the Premier League during the decade?

Six: 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

2. Who finished as top scorer in the top flight four times in the '00s?

Thierry Henry of Arsenal. He topped the scoring charts in 2002 and from 2004-06.

3. Only one side managed to get relegated from the Premier League three times in the last decade. Who are they?

West Bromwich Albion, who went down in 2003, 2006 and 2009.

4. Which Premier League goalkeeper set a record in 2007 by scoring from a direct free kick taken 88m away from the oppositions' goal?

Paul Robinson, who scored from the free kick for Tottenham Hotspur against Watford.

5. Which player set a record in 2003 by winning the Champions League with three different sides?

Clarence Seedorf. He won the trophy with Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid in 1998 and AC Milan in 2003. He lifted the trophy a fourth time with Milan in 2007.

6. Which two clubs made it to the Champions League semi-finals five times in the '00s?

Barcelona (2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009) and Chelsea (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009).

7. Internazionale won their 17th Serie A title in 2009. How many consecutive Scudettos have they now won?

Four - though they were only awarded the first of them when Juventus were stripped of the 2005-06 championship after the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal.

8. Apart from Real Madrid and Barcelona, which are the only two Spanish clubs to have won La Liga in the 2000s?

Valencia (2001-02, 2003-4) and Deportivo La Coruña (1999-2000).

9. Every World Cup tournament has a universally-acknowledged group of death', and in 2002 England were drawn into it. Which three other teams did they face in the pool stages of that year's tournament?

Argentina, Sweden and Nigeria. Sweden topped the group ahead of England on goals scored, with Nigeria and Argentina heading home early. However, that pool was a piece of cake compared to the group of death in the 1982 World Cup when Italy, Argentina and Brazil were pitted against each other in the second round-robin stage.

10. True or false: Italy have never lost a match inside 90 minutes during the knockout stages of either a World Cup or a European Championship in the 00s

True: 2002 World Cup, lost in first knockout round to Korea in extra time; 2006 World Cup, winners; Euro 2000, lost final on golden goal; Euro 2004, failed to progress through group stage; Euro 2008 lost quarter-final on penalties to Spain.

source: Eurosport