₦airaland Forum

dominique:
These people don't identify themselves as Nigerians, why should we?

The cutoff for the top 50 this year is $45.2 million, up an astonishing 20% from the previous record of $37.6 million, set just last year. In all, the 50 athletes hauled in an estimated $3.44 billion over the last 12 months before taxes and agents’ fees, up 16% from last year’s record of $2.97 billion.

Of that new total, $2.36 billion came on the field in the form of salaries, bonuses and prize money—an all-time high, of course, smashing 2022’s $1.91 billion thanks in part to the Middle Eastern money pouring into sports. The off-field figure of $1.08 billion—from athletes’ endorsements, appearances, licensing and memorabilia income, and other business endeavors—is also a new high, edging 2022’s $1.06 billion.

#11 Giannis Antetokounmpo $87.6M
Athlete, NBA

- In December 2020, Antetokounmpo signed a five-year, $228 million supermax extension with the Bucks, with an opt-out after the fourth year.
- Antetokounmpo was named the NBA's MVP for 2018-19 and 2019-20 and was also defensive player of the year for the latter season.
- The first MVP nod triggered huge bonuses from sponsors like Nike, which extended its deal with the Greek Freak in 2017.
- Nike released the Zoom Freak 1 in 2019; it was the largest initial signature shoe launch in Nike basketball history.
- Disney secured a deal in 2020 to develop a movie around Antetokounmpo's life, along the lines of "The Blind Side." The film, titled "Rise," was released on Disney+ in June 2022.

Sponsors
Amazon, Breitling, Come Ready Foods LLC, Epic Games, Google, JBL, Meta, Nike, Unilever


#28 Anthony Joshua

$53M
Athlete, Boxing

- Joshua won his first 22 pro fights and was a world heavyweight champion from 2016 to 2019, until a stunning loss to Andy Ruiz Jr.
- The Brit avenged the loss later in 2019 with a unanimous decision. He lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022 but got back on track with a win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023.
- He has a massive social media following, with 26 million followers across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Sponsors
Audemars Piguet, DAZN, Under Armour

RAINING FIRE Putin ‘blows up US Patriot missile system’ protecting Kyiv as vid shows sky filled with rockets in ‘merciless’ blitz

DRAMATIC footage shows a $1.1billion US Patriot missile system filling the sky with rockets as it protects Kyiv from an unprecedented Russian blitz - before appearing to be blown up.

Vladimir Putin reportedly targeted the advanced air defence battery during Russia's latest "merciless" attack on the Ukrainian capital overnight.

War-hungry Putin is said to have ordered the unprecedented missile strikes in a tantrum in response to the UK sending "game changer" Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine.

The latest influx of supplies for the battlefield enraged the President, with his spokesman vowing there would be an "adequate response".

And he appears to have gone straight for the jugular by destroying Kyiv's crucial surface-to-air missile defence system.

The Patriot - which stands for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target - is alleged to have been destroyed in the latest bombardment.

It has proved an essential piece of kit for Ukrainian fighters to intercept missiles and shoot down Russian "kamikaze" drones.

The system boasts a powerful radar, a control station, a power generator, launch stations and other support vehicles.

It costs a whopping $1.1billion - $400million for the system and $690million for the missiles in a battery - but it granted Ukraine a priceless advantage when defending itself against air attacks.

Each missile fired from the Patriot costs around $4million - and footage showed dozens were launched last night alone.

It means Ukraine has racked up a hefty bill in its attempt to protect Kyiv.

Shocking video appeared to capture the moment a US-supplied Patriot SAM system exhausted its defensive supply as they battled against a barrage of incoming rockets and drones.

Several missiles can be seen hurtling towards the site before a huge explosion erupts, reportedly destroying the Patriot system.

The claims were published on the Russian Telegram channel Military Informer. There is currently no official confirmation.

The post read: "There are many videos from Kyiv showing the extremely dense batteries of the American MIM-104 Patriot SAM, and as soon as the SAM runs out of missiles, there is a powerful explosion at the location from which the launches were made."

The Patriot is viewed as a vital addition to Kyiv's arsenal due to its ability to withstand Russian aerial aggression.

Reports claimed it recently successfully downed an "unstoppable" Russian Kinzhal - or Dagger - hypersonic missile for the first time.

It marked a historic moment in the war as Ukrainian army leaders were unsure whether the Patriot could take down that kind of powerful missile.

Russia is believed to have intended to blow up the American-made artillery with the missile, but the plan seemingly backfired.

It is feared Ukraine's defence of the capital could crumble if the indispensable mobile air-defence system was knocked out.

'STAY IN SHELTERS'

The latest onslaught directed at Kyiv was branded "senseless and merciless" by pro-Russian war blogger Anatoly Shariy.

City official Serhiy Popko said the nighttime barrage that swept in from the north, south and east had been "exceptional in its density.

He said: "The maximum number of rockets were fired at the city in the shortest period of time.

"This time, the enemy carried out a complex attack in different directions simultaneously with the use of UAVs, cruise missiles and, probably, ballistic missiles.

"According to preliminary information, the vast majority of enemy targets in the airspace of Kyiv were detected and destroyed."

General Valerii Zaluzhny, head of Ukraine's armed forces, said Russia attacked Kyiv three directions using 18 air, sea and land-based missiles.

wirinet:
Democracy us not about dashing votes, its about actual votes counted at the polling stations, else we should just dash the president to the highest bidder or the most influential elite.

What people with conscience are saying is that if the Rivers State elections could be so blatantly rigged by the state governor, then it means many other states with crooked governors were probably rigged also in favour of their preferred candidates including those won by Obi and Atiku. This means that the whole elections was not credible and whosoever was declared winner will suffer credibility issues - both within Nigeria and in the international community.

The last election by Prof Mahmood lacked credibility to be able to declare anyone a winner.

WorldRichest:
Igbos working in BBC are now conducting elections in Nigeria.

This was how Igbos started in 1966 by killing Yoruba and Northern leaders, by the time Awolowo begged for them in 1970, over 3,000,000 have been sacrificed to the gods

WritterNig:
⚡🇷🇺 Russia's defence ministry: Russian forces destroyed patriot air defence system in Kyiv.

Mantilla:
US will never in there life see Nigeria have a visionary leader.
Obi is the last person they want to rule Nigeria.
US and corruption are like 5 and 6.

They can't afford to have another Gadafi in a democratic environment.

Mantilla:
US is the greatest hypocritical nation in the universe.
I pray you go into war and burn so the glob can have peace. You don't have the status quo vadis to sanction any body. You are the master mind of Nigeria loo.

InyinyaAgbaOku:
If they leave you, Yoruba men count as masculine?
The least masculine men in Nigeria from physique to actions.
I will blame it on the yam species though.

Your masculinity is all channeled to thuggery and ballot-box snatching.
Classless, fearless mofos

Tyriq:
They build businesses, while we chase every lowly special adviser job , looking for government jobs and contracts.*

PreyingMantis:
See them!
Awolowo must be turning in his grave looking at this generation of Yorubas.

Vado2:
Most of the historical accounts are fictional. Watch this!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_sECOyh1cg

Vado2:
Contrary to Yoruba history, the greatness of the Bini kingdom was not just legend or fiction. It was obvious even in the eighteenth century. Or were the Binis the ones who declared it to have the biggest man-made wall in history? historians in the West did. The empire was so powerful that it competed head-to-head with the British military. The Yoruba history is fiction, and that much is beyond dispute. a narrative concocted by a group of insane Yoruba historians. The empire has no trace all fiction!

The Benin empire is older than the Oyo empire. How’s that possible since your historians said it was an Oyo prince that formed the great Benin empire??

Staphylococcus:
SA is a sovereign country, but Ukraine is not!

So much of double standards

obedience4:
You clearly do not know much about the Korean war.
The war started when the north koreans invaded it's southern neighbours. And they took the capital and the South Korea governments collapse,
The USA led UN intervention drove the north koreans out of South Korea and even took the North Korea capital.
You claimed that the British soilders saved the Americans 😁😀😁
When in fact the whole UN mission was led by am America general and the whole military alliance from over a 25 countries even the South Korea army was placed under the USA military command, so I wonder how the British soilders now save the the USA soilders, when they were all fighting under the UN military alliance commanded by the USA.
The USA and the UN goal was for the north koreans to leave the South Korea territories, which was stated in the notice given to North Korea, to vacted the south, and the USA and it's allies achieved it set goals of eviting the north Koreans from the south.
If you research well you will know that when the war ended in a armstrict the south side had taken more territories from the north.

obedience4:
Look at this one writing poop,
Russia has more tanks than the whole European nations and the USA
A simple Google will save you from humiliating your self
Go check out the total number of USA army m1abrams tanks

Russia 12267
USA 6612
North Korea 6000
China 5750
India 4614
Egypt 3789
Pakistan 3742
Syria 3507
Turkey 3017
Iran 2842
South Korea 2606
Vietnam 1829
Israel 1650
Jordan 1588
Ukraine 1462
Greece 1365
Saudi Arabia 1275
Taiwan 1160
Japan 1004
Azerbaijan 940
Iraq 848
Belarus 652
Poland 577
Brazil 469
Romania 440
France 406
United Arab Emirates 354
Germany 328
Spain 327
Venezuela 312
United Kingdom 286
Armenia 269
Indonesia 241
Finland 239
Switzerland 224
Italy 200
Hungary 176
Singapore 170
Qatar 138
Sweden 121
Canada 82
Australia 59
Austria 56
Norway 52
Malaysia 48
Philippines 18
Netherlands 18

Tiopii:
NATO has invested $200billion? Pls show evidence.
Man say the missiles are PR stunt 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂. What would Putin do? Fire more missiles into Ukraine, like he isn't already doing so.
If NATO has spent $200B, how much Russia has spent??😂😂😂😂😂😂.

Except the US, no country is spending up to 200B in it's defense budget, so they would spend $200B on Ukraine? Don't you know the worth of money? How old are you?

obedience4:
kids, two gulf wars, the war for independence against the! British, the Korean war, the Pacific war against the Japanese, the Iraqi war, the Kuwait war,