Cristiano Ronaldo has become the highest paid athlete in the world after his move to Saudi club Al-Nassr nearly doubled his annual salary.
Paris Saint-Germain duo Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé complete the top three, according to
Forbes
.
Ronaldo, who joined the Saudi football club until 2025 after leaving Manchester United last year, has earned $136m (€123m), with Forbes estimating his annual playing salary at 75 million dollars (68 million euros).
Ronaldo's contract was estimated by the media at more than 200 million euros ($219.98 million).
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Messi and Mbappé just behind Ronaldo
PSG striker Lionel Messi, 35, is next on the list after netting $130m ($122m), while his teammate and France captain Mbappé, the youngest of the list at 24, earned $120 million (109 million euros) to place third.
Los Angeles Lakers player and NBA great LeBron James ($119.5 million) and Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez ($110 million) round out the top 5.
Last year also saw the rise of LIV Golf, the breakout circuit that has lured some of the best players on the US-based PGA Tour with considerable sums of money, and two of its golfers make it into the top 10. .
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A ranking completed by NBA stars and Federer
Former world No. 1 Dustin Johnson (sixth at $107m) made the biggest move after his controversial move to LIV Golf, when he failed to even break into the top 50 in 2022. He was joined by fellow LIV golfer Phil Mickelson (seventh with $106 million).
Four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry ($100.4 million) and Phoenix Suns player Kevin Durant ($89.1 million) are the other two basketball players on the list.
Former tennis champion Roger Federer ($95.1 million) is the only retired player to make the top 10.
Forbes
clarifies that on-field revenue includes all prizes, salaries, and bonuses earned in the past 12 months, while off-field revenue is an estimate of sponsorship deals, appearance fees, licensing revenue, and returns on investment of the businesses they operate.
