Kylian Mbappe, the renowned football superstar, recently made headlines with a jaw-dropping offer of $1 billion from Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal.

However, even this staggering sum wouldn’t have propelled him anywhere close to being the richest athlete in history. Enter the ancient Roman chariot racer, Gaius Appuleius Diocles, hailing from the province of Lusitania, which corresponds to modern-day Portugal.

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Dating back to 104 AD, story of Gaius Appuleius Diocles is a fascinating glimpse into the world of ancient sports. In the grand arena of Ancient Rome, chariot racing held a status akin to today’s football, complete with its own set of fervently supported teams: the Greens, Reds, Whites, and Blues. Gaius initially joined the Whites but later switched allegiances, racing for both the Greens and Reds over his remarkable 15-year career. What truly sets Gaius apart is his astounding record of over 1,000 race victories.

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Gaius Diocles graced the hallowed grounds of the Circus Maximus in Rome, a colossal amphitheater capable of accommodating more than 150,000 spectators. His achievements in the sport were so extraordinary that upon his retirement, two monuments were erected in his honor, both proudly displaying his incredible statistics: a mind-boggling 4,257 race starts and an astounding 1,463 victories.

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These accomplishments translate to a prize money haul that, in today’s currency, would be valued at an astonishing $15 billion.

Extreme wealth in sports

To put it in perspective, this would have made Gaius the wealthiest athlete in the annals of history, surpassing even the highest-earning modern sports icons with an equivalent of over $100 billion in today’s American sports terms. The tale of Gaius Appuleius Diocles offers us a captivating window into Ancient Roman society during the height of the Empire. It underscores the wealth, resources, and passion that underpinned the vibrant world of ancient sports.

While contemporary debates continue to swirl around the earnings of modern athletes, the stark contrast with Gaius Diocles’ chariot racing fortune serves as a reminder that the pursuit of athletic excellence, and the rewards it brings, has deep roots in human history.

Kylian Mbappé’s journey to the pinnacle of wealth in the sporting world still has quite a distance to cover if he aspires to match the remarkable riches accumulated by Gaius Appuleius Diocles during his illustrious chariot racing career.

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