Mike Tyson’s tigers are well known, but what did Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James splurge on? NBA and Fifa athletes make millions, and how they spend it might surprise you

Dec 2 , 2020

Mike Tyson, Cristiano Ronaldo and Roger Federer with some of their most surprising purchases. Photos: @blundtvintage; @rogerfederer; @cristiano/Instagram

Cristiano Ronaldo commissioned a US$31,000 wax statue of himself, Roger Federer invested in a bus to tour Europe with and Lionel Messi bought his noisy neighbours’ house for some peace and quiet

Sports, without a doubt, is a moneymaking industry. Athletes in particular rake in millions of dollars not only from their jaw-dropping salaries but also through endorsement deals, businesses and even social media posts.

While sports superstars commonly splash out on state-of-the-art homes and luxury cars, there are other items that fans might not expect their idols to buy.

From Mike Tyson’s white Bengal tigers to Cristiano Ronaldo’s wax figure, here are some famous athletes’ most surprising purchases.

Mike Tyson owned three white Bengal tigers

In his heyday, Mike Tyson was not only royalty in the boxing ring but also a real-life “Tiger King”. He owned three white Bengal tigers that reportedly came at a price tag of US$70,000 each. The former heavyweight boxing champion eventually had to give them up after over a decade upon realising how risky they were. Since then, he has swapped those jungle cats for a poodle.

Lionel Messi bought his noisy neighbours’ house

Six-time Fifa World Player of the Year Lionel Messi expanded his estate in Castelldefels, Spain, back in 2013 simply for some peace and quiet. According to his former teammate Ivan Rakitic, the Argentinian superstar opted to buy his neighbours’ property since they were renting out several of their rooms to a bunch of noisy and rowdy strangers.

Roger Federer bought a 1960s Mercedes bus