La Gazzetta dello Sport dives into Tadej Pogačar’s finances: Slovenian heading for record year

La Gazzetta dello Sport took a closer look on Wednesday at the annual income and expenses of Tadej Pogačar. In the case of the Slovenian UAE Emirates-XRG superstar, it is unsurprisingly mostly about money coming in, both on and off the bike. According to the Italian sports newspaper, Pogačar is on course to set a new personal record for annual earnings.

Pogačar won the Tour de France for the fifth time this year, drawing level with Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain on five overall victories. He also added victories at Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse, further strengthening an already remarkable 2026 campaign.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the world champion is well on his way to surpassing €13 million in income this year. The largest part of that comes from his contract with UAE Emirates-XRG, which runs through 2030 and reportedly earns him €8 million per season. On top of that salary, the team pays Pogačar additional bonuses for reaching specific sporting targets. His long-term commitment to UAE through 2030 has previously been confirmed by the team.

The Italian newspaper reports that the Monaco-based Pogačar receives another €1 million for winning the Tour de France, while finishing the season at the top of the UCI ranking is worth €500,000. The Slovenian is firmly on course to end the year as world number one for the sixth consecutive season. There is also more bonus money available: an overall victory at the Giro d’Italia or Vuelta a España would reportedly be worth €500,000, while winning the World Championships would add another €250,000.

Pogačar also has ten major personal sponsors, which are estimated to bring him around €2.5 million per year. They include Colnago bikes, DMT shoes, MET helmets, Continental tires, Enervit nutrition, the Slovenian Tourist Board, virtual cycling platform MyWhoosh, Chinese-founded cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin, Richard Mille watches and sports-performance technology company WHOOP. La Gazzetta notes that limiting the number of partnerships is a deliberate strategy designed to avoid diluting the image and commercial value of the world's number-one rider.

Pogačar also earns money through his own merchandise, although a substantial part of that income is given away again. He recently donated €100,000 following flooding in the Komenda region, while in the week after the Tour de France he also organised his own three-day Pogi Challenge in Slovenia. La Gazzetta reports that profits from his racing merchandise are directed toward the charitable foundation bearing his name.

His agent Alex Carera, who runs A&J All Sports together with his brother Johnny, highlighted the amount Pogačar puts into charitable projects and the youth team carrying his name. “What really makes him unique, different from everyone else, is the amount of resources he dedicates to charity and to the youth team that bears his name. We are talking about a total of at least one million euros a year. That is not common,” the Italian explained.