First making a splash in early 2020, the video-sharing app TikTok has quickly become one of the world's biggest social media platforms.

The service, which also allows users to share clips of 15 seconds or less with the world, is now estimated to have over 110m active users around the globe.

That is some serious reach, which explains how some sporting superstars have been able to cash in on the success of the app with lucrative sponsored posts.

Research recently conducted by onlinegambling.ca demonstrates just how profitable these posts can be for certain athletes. The top 30 highest-earning athletes on the platform have been ranked - and a number of these men and women and doing very nicely for themselves from their 15 seconds in front of the camera.

The top-ranked name in the countdown, though, isn't exactly a household name to many sports fans. 

The top 30 highest-earning athletes on TikTok

30. Maddie Mastro (Snowboarder) - $520/£380 earned per post

29. Coco Gauff (Tennis) - $790/£578

28. Matisse Thybulle (Basketball) - $860/£629

27. Shaylee Gonzalez (Basketball) - $1,050/£767

26. Serge Ibaka (Basketball) - $1,520/£1,110

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25. Serena Williams (Tennis) - $1,900/£1,388

24. Tacko Fall (Basketball) - $2,550/£1,862

23. Gibran Lajud (Football) - $2,630/£1,922

22. Ian Wright (Football) - $2,820/£2,061

21. Hector Herrera (Football) $3,030/£2,214

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ENTER GIVEAWAY

20. Roberto Carlos (Football) - $3,280/£2,397

19. Laurie Hernandez (Gymnastics) - $3,310/£2,419

18. Trae Young (Basketball) - $4,840/£3,537

17. Amir Khan (Boxing) - $5,000/£3,654

16. Shareef O'Neal (Basketball) - $7,500/5,480

15. Kubra Dagli (Taekwondo) - $7,500/5,480

14. Nikolas Plytas (Water Skiing) - $9,500/£6,940

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13. Toni Kross (Football) - $11,000/8,035

12. Tom Brady (American Football) - $11,000/8,035

11. James Rodriguez (Football) - $11,500/£8,400

10. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Basketball) - $11,500/£8,400

9. Hunter Woodhall (Athletics) - $13,000/£9,450

8. JuJu Smith-Schuster (American Football) - $15,000/£10,960

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7. Vinicius Junior (Football) - $15,500/£11,325

6. Ronaldinho (Football) - $16,500/£12,053

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5. Alphonso Davies (Football) - $20,000/£14,610

4. Robert Lewandowski (Football) - $21,500/£15,708

3. Liv Cooke (Football Freestyler) - $23,000/£16,800

Cooke's skill set is perfectly matched to TikTok, with the five-time world record holder's tricks translating well to the bite-sized nature of the platform. The 22-year-old is rewarded handsomely each time she shares a sponsored post with her 4.6m followers.

2. Sergio Ramos (Football) - $31,000/£22,643

A four-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, Ramos has been on the move this summer, joining up with many other star names at Paris Saint-Germain. As he settles into the French capital, the 35-year-old is sure to share highlights of his new adventure with his 6.2m TikTok followers. There'll no doubt be the odd endorsement in there too, pocketing Ramos more than £20,000 a pop.

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1. Noah Beck (Football) - $146,000/$106,000

Before TikTok exploded into the mainstream, 20-year-old Noah Beck was juggling playing as a midfielder for the Portland Pilots in the NCAA Division One soccer league with life as a student.

When COVID-19 forced him and the teammates off the field in March 2020, Beck began experimenting with the social media platform - and we're betting he's glad he did!

Beck quickly became a TikTok sensation and was named by the brand as one of its top 10 breakout creators of 2020. His dancing, lip syncing and posing videos were an instant hit with TikTok users, kickstarting a fanbase on the platform that has now swelled to 30m users - with his content generating nearly 200m likes, more than double anyone else on the list. 

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Last month, CNN described Beck as being "inexplicably famous". While that's certainly a point of view you could argue, the youngster has built himself quite the empire off the back of his Tik Tok fame. 

With a reality show and clothing line in the works, Beck has plenty to occupy his time, including his relationship with fellow TikTok star Dixie D'Amelio. This is part of the reason why he commands over £100,000 for every sponsored video that he puts out - more than 12 times the fee of NFL legend Tom Brady!

Beck's future in football is unknown, having dropped out of the University of Portland last year. However, he won't be having to lace up his boots for financial reasons any time soon. 

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