The NHL club “New York Rangers” goalie Igor Shesterkin became the highest-paid Russian sportsman in 2005. Based on the average earnings for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons, according to Spotrac figures, the netminder earned around $11.3 million, excluding bonuses and taxes.
“RBK Sport” compiled a top-30 list of the highest-earning Russian athletes, considering income directly from their sport and excluding endorsement deals.
For NHL hockey players, the average annual salary across the two upcoming seasons (2024/25 and 2025/26) was used, leaving out performance-based bonuses. The earnings calculation for footballers and UFC fighters incorporates bonuses, whereas tennis players’ income is determined solely by prize money won.
Second on the list of highest earners was “Utah Mammoth” defenseman Mikhail Sergachev ($11 million). Rounding out the top three was “Washington Capitals” captain Alexander Ovechkin ($10 million), whose agreement with the club concludes this summer.
The top-30 included 23 NHL players. This is because only a few Russians compete in the wealthiest leagues, clubs, or succeed in highly lucrative sports.
The NHL ranks fifth among the highest-paying tours globally. However, it lags significantly in player compensation behind the top four. For instance, in the NBA (3rd place), a rookie earns at the level of an NHL star.
Consequently, the first pick of the 2025 NBA draft, Cooper Flagg, trails only seven NHL players in salary ($13.8 million), while Egor Demin (“Brooklyn Nets”), who went 8th in the 2025 NBA draft, entered the top-20 highest-paid Russian athletes in his very first year, earning $6.9 million.
Who became the highest-paid Russian athlete in 2025
Besides the mentioned leagues, substantial sums appear in professional boxing.
Russian boxers Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol contested their second bout for the undisputed light heavyweight world championship in February. Bivol took revenge against Beterbiev. The Russians earned $10 million each for this contest.
Among mixed martial arts fighters, Islam Makhachev is featured, having earned $7 million. In December, he made history by capturing the UFC championship across two weight divisions. Makhachev is currently the welterweight champion. Prior to this, he held the lightweight belt before moving up a division.
Makhachev is the sole MMA representative on this list. Magomed Ankalaev, who participated in two championship fights against the Brazilian Alex Pereira in 2025, earned approximately $4.3 million in purses and bonuses. By this measure, he sits near the beginning of the fourth ten.
Matvey Safonov
Among Russian footballers, Monaco midfielder Alexander Golovin ($6.5 million) and PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, who earned ($6 million), made the top-30, according to Capology data. Only three Russians compete in the top-five football leagues, and only Safonov is with a top-tier club.
The French championship’s salaries notably trail the English Premier League. Among local top clubs, only PSG competes on equal terms with giants from other nations.
The only female in this ranking was Mirra Andreeva, whose earnings amounted to $4.7 million. No other tennis players made the top-30.
Tennis players Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Karen Khachanov, along with Russian Premier League (RPL) footballers, finished the fourth tier of the rating. Players from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) did not even enter the top-50 in terms of earnings.
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