Rory McIlroy worth £225m before divorce from Erica Stoll as Sunday Times rich list revealed but he’s not top sports star
RORY MCILROY has been revealed to have a net worth of £225million in the Sunday Times 40 Under 40 Rich List.
It comes before the golfers shock divorce from wife Erica Stoll after seven years of marriage.
McIlroy, 35, is said to have had earnings exceeding £65m last year, with the bulk of his wealth coming from sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike, Omega and TaylorMade.
Despite struggling for form in 2024, with a poor showing at the Masters last month, the Belfast-born golfer pocketed £1.3m for winning the Scottish Open last summer.
Inside McIlroy’s whirlwind love life, including tennis champ and Meghan Markle
By Jon Boon
AND so it has run its course.
Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll, who appeared a match made in heaven, are no more.
The pair were married for seven years and share a daughter called Poppy, who was born in 2020.
But the Northern Ireland golf star surprised fans everywhere when filed for divorce in May 2024.
And it isn’t the first time McIlroy’s relationships have made the headlines – with a romantic history involving a tennis star and even Meghan Markle.
When McIlroy burst onto the scene as a fresh faced teenager, he was supported by childhood sweetheart Holly.
However, they split up after he hit the big time – with McIlroy claiming the split was “amicable.”
But Holly alleged the golfer had left her for tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.
Beginning their romance in such an unceremonious way wasn’t the ideal start with the Danish tennis beauty.
They reportedly met at a boxing match, and soon prospered as a sporting power couple with McIlroy proposing on a romantic holiday to Monte Carlo on New Year’s eve 2013.
Fancy wedding invitations were sent to friends and family, with a date set.
However, Rory allegedly dumped Caroline in a three-minute PHONE CALL – just months before their nuptials.
And it was reportedly all down to a picture Wozniaki had put on Twitter.
In 2014, McIlroy was even romantically linked with the now Duchess of Sussex, Meghan.
The pair flirted in a video shared on social media, as he helped the American actress take part in the Ice Bucket Challenge, a viral trend adopted by many celebs to raise money for ALS.
Later Markle would wax lyrical about McIlroy on her blog.
But nothing even came of it as McIlroy soon fell for Erica – who he had met in bizarre circumstances after sleeping through his alarm at the 2012 Ryder Cup.
Erica, who worked on Tour, spared McIlroy’s embarrassment as he she helped him make his tee-time thanks to a police escort.
The incident began a firm friendship between the pair, four years before their relationship turned romantic.
Soon after, the couple got engaged in Paris and walked down the aisle at Ashford Castle in Ireland in 2017.
Click here to read our full feature on McIlroy’s love life...
The Sun revealed earlier this week how McIlroy had spent £10m developing a luxury mansion in the UK before the bombshell news of his divorce filing, and has property in Dubai, Florida and New York.
However, World No2 McIlory – who sits 13th in the overall Sunday Times list – is not top among British sport stars.
Instead, that title belongs to seven-time Formula One world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton, 39, saw his net worth increase to £350m after announcing he was joining Ferrari from Mercedes for next season, which sticks him at the bottom of the main list including billionaires such as Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Inside track on Hamilton's life
LEWIS HAMILTON has driven his way into pole position as Formula One's most prolific winner.
The British speedster lives life in the fast lane both on and off the track, with a string of high-profile romances and jet-set lifestyle.
Hamilton made his name at McLaren and Mercedes but stunned the racing world by signing a £100million deal to join Ferrari for next season.
His exploits have seen him rub shoulders with Hollywood icon Brad Pitt but Lew snubbed the chance to feature in Top Gun 2.
And fans can follow his fortunes on the latest season of Netflix’s smash hit Drive To Survive.
Hamilton’s talent saw him go from humble origins in Stevenage to boasting an £11m car collection.
He joined celeb dating app Raya after splitting from Brazilian beauty Juliana Nalu.
And his exes are said to include Rita Ora, Rihanna and Nicole Scherzinger.
Hamilton was embroiled in a bitter feud with Nico Rosberg but the pair buried the hatchet to sport £35k watches they were given for FREE.
He also shared high-profile battles with Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.
But his most shocking showdown saw Max Verstappen handed the World Championship over him by a controversial safety car decision.
The Brit is chasing a record eighth world title – the first of which came in 2008 and has seen Felipe Masa sue F1 for £62m after a crash saw him miss out.
Check out all our Lewis Hamilton articles here.
He has sponsorship deals with Bose, Electronic Arts, Monster Energy, Tommy Hilfiger and Puma among others.
Hamilton also has ties into the movie industry – with his F1 movie starring Brad Pitt becoming one of the costliest in history – and has found himself put into the popular Fortnite video game.
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The ex-McLaren ace ranks ninth overall in the list and narrowly edges out Ipswich fan and shirt sponsor Ed Sheeran who is worth £340m.
Former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua is third among sport stars and is joint 17th with Harry Styles with a worth of £175m.
How AJ punched his way to the top
ANTHONY JOSHUA punched his way to the top of the world before being knocked off his perch.
From humble origins in Watford to Olympic hero, the boxer has made a heavyweight impact in and out of the ring.
Eddie Hearn claims a collision with rival Tyson Fury could be worth a whopping £200million.
The pair’s bitter feud saw them refuse to say a word to each other as they met Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua has already hinted at when he will hang up his gloves.
And he revealed why his son will NEVER be allowed to box. despite amassing a £215m empire thanks to the sweet science.
AJ enjoys a lavish lifestyle including private jets and a £350k watch.
His career and sponsorship deals have seen him swap his council estate upbringing for a luxury car collection.
London hairdresser Kika Osunde is believed to have swept the KO king off his feet.
But Joshua still lives with his mum Yeta when he is not on the road.
Check out all our Anthony Joshua articles here.
Joshua is punching his way back to into title contention in boxing and has increased his wealth by getting to grips with property acquisitions in Mayfair, Bond Street and BP’s former HQ in Hertfordshire.
The majority of his wealth, £129.2m to be exact, is held by Sparta Promotions and shows he earned £28.3m from boxing purses and £8.9m from commercial deals.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Sir Andy Murray ranks way lower in the list – 27th overall – with a value of £100m.
The 37-year-old has won more than £50m on the tennis court throughout his career while his income has been boosted by sponsorship deals with the likes of Head, Standard Life and American Express.
Murray also has a stake in sportswear brand Castore worth £35m and owns the Cromlix hotel in Stirlingshire.
England captain and Bayern Munich star Harry Kane is next with a fortune of £75m.
The 30-year-old reportedly pocketed a £30m signing on fee and also earns £400,000 a week.
Kane also now owns a £30m mansion in Munich.
Who are these famous footballers?
- I was West Ham captain but I almost went to jail over bankruptcy
- I’m a former Man Utd star and I once stole a girl from Ronaldo
- I’m an ex-Man Utd star – now I own a dog-themed B&B
- I was Thierry Henry’s toughest opponent but quit to become a pastor
- I’m a former Wolves striker but I left football behind to become a vicar
Fellow England international Raheem Sterling is next with a worth of £72m.
The 29-year-old earns £350,000 a week at Chelsea and has sponsorships with the likes of New Balance, Puma, Gillette and Clarks.
Just behind him and the last sportsperson in the list is 34-year-old Gareth Bale.
Since retiring from football Bale has featured in a number of celebrity golf tournaments featuring the likes of Novak Djokovic and McIlroy.
Ultimate sports presenters rich list
TV sports presenters make a mint.
The biggest and best are signed up on yearly deals with the likes of the BBC, ITV and Sky for your viewing pleasure.
Laura Woods is dominating the media landscape at the moment, leading TNT Sports’ coverage and ITV’s.
Alex Scott and Jermaine Jenas are two of the fresher faces for the BBC’s sporting output.
Then, it’s the old guard of Gary Lineker and Mark Chapman who also command hefty fees for their Match of the Day programmes.
SunSport has taken a look at how those big names rank and compiled a list of the top 10 highest earning stars that grace our TV screens.
With number one worth a whopping £29.4million more than number 10!
Read the story and see the full list here.