Diocles, a Billionaire on Wheels: How he Became the Richest Athlete Ever

When discussing about the best contemporary athletes, one tends to value their victories, either individual or team-based, plus the wealth they have accumulated over the years. Modern-day athletes are actually favoured in the latter, since salaries have somewhat skyrocketed for certain sports with billions of spectators around the globe.

However, none —even today— comes even close to an ancient Roman, named Diocles.

Diocles’ fame came not only from his victories but also from the immense wealth he accumulated, which was meticulously recorded. By the end of his career, he had reportedly earned 35,863,120 sesterces, a staggering amount that would have made him one of the wealthiest athletes in history, even by modern standards.

To put this in perspective, his earnings were said to be equivalent to the annual pay of several thousand Roman soldiers or the cost of feeding the entire city of Rome for over a year. But how did he gather all that money?