Who is Britain's richest sportsman?

Racing car drivers and footballers top sport's richest. And the winner is....

1 David Whelan £190m

Former Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra player who now owns Wigan Athletic. After being awarded £400 for a career ending injury in 1960, he bought, built up and sold a string of successful businesses including JJB Sports, for which in 2007 he pocketed £190m.

2 David Beckham £135m

Midfielder for Los Angeles Galaxy on a five-year deal worth $32.5m. Beckham previously played for Man Utd, Preston North End, Real Madrid (€35m transfer fee), and A.C. Milan, as well as the England national team, for whom he holds the all-time appearance record for an outfield player.

3 Sir Tony O'Reily £120m

Anglo-Irish businessman and former international rugby union player, O'Reilly spent more than a decade on Forbes' list of the world's billionaires. He lost the status lost in 2008-09 after shares of his then newspaper group, Independent News & Media, fell 90%. He poured $250m into Waterford Wedgwood only to see it collapse in January 2009. He remains one of Ireland's richest citizens.

4 Johnny Dumfries £110

Born heir to a large fortune, the 7th Marquess of Bute, styled Earl of Dumfries before 1993, and usually known as Johnny Dumfries, is a Scottish peer and a former racing driver. He won the 1984 British Formula Three Championship, and in 1986 he raced a single season in Formula One.

5 Lennox Lewis £95m

Along with Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield, West Ham-born Lewis is one of only three boxers in history to have won the heavyweight championship three times.  He only ever suffered two losses, both of which he avenged in rematches, both by knockout. Upon retirement in 2004, he had defeated every opponent he had faced.

6 Eddie Irvine £80m

The former racing driver from Northern Ireland was a millionaire through property investment before reaching Formula One. Outside of F1, Irvine is said to have built up a multi-million pound property portfolio, owning around forty properties throughout the world. 

7 Jody Scheckter £60m

South African former racing driver, and the 1979 Formula One World Drivers Champion. After his retirement, Scheckter founded then sold FATS Inc, which built firearms training simulators for security organizations and the military. He now lives as an organic farmer after buying Laverstoke Park farm, near Overton, Hampshire.

8 Dave Richards £58m

Chairman of Prodrive and Aston Martin, Richards is a former team principal of the BAR and Benetton Formula One motor racing teams. In March 2007, he led a consortium of investors including Investment Dar and Adeem Investment, raising $925m to finance the purchase of Aston Martin from Ford. Richards subsequently became chairman of the car company.

9= David Coulthard £50m

The former Formula One racing driver has lived for some time in the tax haven of Monaco, and owns homes in London, Belgium and Switzerland. He owns several luxury hotels in Britain and is a former owner of the Columbus Hotel, Monaco.

9= Lewis Hamilton £50m

Formula One driver currently racing for the McLaren-Mercedes team, and 2008 Formula One World Champion. In 2010 Hamilton reportedly earned €16m, half the reported €30m retainer of Ferrari star and fierce rival Fernando Alonso.

9= Nigel Mansell

Winner of both the Formula One World Championship (1992) and the CART Indy Car World Series (1993). Mansell spent 11 years as a Special Constable, and used his own money to work his way up the ranks of motor racing. In a 1994 Formula One comeback with the Williams team he was paid £900,000 per race, compared to Williams's lead driver at the time, Damon Hill being paid £300,000 for the entire season.

Source: The Sunday Times