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SI.com

The foreigners are gaining fast. At a combined $581 million, this year's rundown of the top 20 highest-paid non-American athletes is the heftiest we've ever compiled, and an increase of one-third over the previous year. Why? Sure, soccer and Formula 1 -- the two most popular sports away from American shores -- are beginning to pay off as well, and in many cases better, than U.S.-based leagues. But the weakness of the American dollar has never been on better display in the sports world.

Twelve of the athletes on this year's list earn their paychecks from foreign-based leagues. The British pound has been strong for years, strengthening the earnings of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lewis Hamilton, John Terry and Michael Ballack (as well as Fernando Alonso who, until recently, was part of the McLaren racing team). But the distortion really takes effect with the athletes who are paid in Euros, which have gained 15 percent on the American dollar over the past 12 months -- that's why the likes of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and MotoGP god Valentino Rossi have seen significant bumps.

In all, this year's International 20 features nine soccer players, three Formula 1 racers, three baseball players, two basketball players, two tennis players and one motorcycle racer. As always, our list includes salary, bonuses, endorsement income and appearance fees.

1. David Beckham

Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)

Great Britain

Last Year's Rank: 5

48 200 000 total

2. Kimi Räikkönen

Auto Racing

Finland

Last Year's Rank: NR

46 000 000 total

3.Ronaldinho

FC Barcelona (Soccer)

Brazil

Last Year's Rank: 2

37 500 000 total

4. Lionel Messi

FC Barcelona (Soccer)

Argentina

Last Year's Rank: NR

35 800 000 total

5. Roger Federer

Tennis

Switzerland

Last Year's Rank: 3

35 130 620 total

6. Fernando Alonso

Auto Racing

Spain

Last Year's Rank: 1

7. Valentino Rossi

Motor Sports

Italy

Last Year's Rank: 4

8. Yao Ming

Houston Rockets (NBA)

China

Last Year's Rank: 6

9. Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United (Soccer)

Portugal

Last Year's Rank: NR

10. Ichiro Suzuki

Seattle Mariners (MLB)

Japan

Last Year's Rank: 7

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