Cristiano Ronaldo Tops Forbes List Of Highest-Paid Athletes

Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has topped the Forbes list of highest paid-athletes. The Portugal captain made this achievement for the fourth time in his career. According to Forbes' list released on Thursday, the 39-year-old became the highest paid athlete after earning an estimated $260 million over the last 12 months.

Forbes estimates that Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract with Al Nassr of the Saudi Pro League earned him $200 million this season. Apart from this, he also earned another $60 million in off-field earnings. This is mainly through an endorsement portfolio that includes major brands like Nike, Binance, and Herbalife. Meanwhile, Spanish golfer Jon Rahm moved to the second spot with total earnings of $218 million. It is to be noted that Cristiano Ronaldo and Jon Rahm are the only two athletes to earn over $200 million, according to Forbes. 

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi is third on the list with $135 million. The 36-year-old Ballon d'Or winner earned $65 million in on-field earnings, along with $70 million from deals with major sponsors such as Adidas. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James secured the fourth spot with $128.2 million. Footballers Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Karim Benzema have also entered the top-10 list. Meanwhile, Forbes mentioned that the world’s 50 highest-paid athletes hauled in an estimated $3.88 billion over the last 12 months before taxes and agents’ fees. In this, roughly 76% came from on-field earnings.