Highest-Paid Athletes: Ronaldo Surpasses Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Al Nassr has secured the footballer a record income of $75 million, placing him at the top of the list of the highest-paid athletes in the world according to Forbes magazine. Despite a disappointing season at Manchester United, Ronaldo has once again scored a goal in terms of his wealth, with his annual earnings rising to $136 million, of which $46 million was earned on the field and $90 million from sponsorship deals.

Forbes notes that only three athletes: Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, and Conor McGregor have managed to earn such an amount in a single year. The combined income of the 50 highest-earning athletes over the past 12 months is also higher than last year. Specifically, the top 50 earned a total of $3.44 billion, which is 16 percent more than the record set in 2022. About $2.36 billion came from their core “business” – sports, while the rest came from sponsors, memorabilia sales, licensing, and similar sources.

Only one woman

In second place on the list is Ronaldo’s ‘rival’, Lionel Messi, who earned $130 million. Half of that amount was deposited into his account by major brands such as Adidas, Budweiser, PepsiCo, and recently, Socios, a blockchain-based platform that brings him about $20 million annually. In third place is another footballer – Kylian Mbappe, who became $120 million richer in the past 12 months and earned the most among all footballers on the list by playing football ($100 million).

Half a million less, specifically $119.5 million, was earned by basketball player LeBron James, who is in fourth place. Thanks to his business acumen, Forbes named James the first active athlete to make the billionaire list last year. Boxer Canelo Alvarez is in fifth place with $110 million, while golfer Dustin Johnson is sixth with $107 million. This golfer had not been on the list of the 50 highest-paid until this year, and he is now among the top ten thanks to his outstanding achievements on the field ($102 million).

Just a million dollars less is golfer Phil Mickelson, who earned $106 million, while in eighth place is basketball player Stephen Curry with $100.4 million. Tennis player Roger Federer, despite his retirement, ranks high in ninth place with $95.1 million ($95 million earned off the field), while in tenth place is basketball player Kevin Durant, who earned $89.1 million. Only one woman made it to the list of the 50 highest-paid athletes, and that is tennis player Serena Williams, who, with earnings of $45 million, is in 49th place.