Real Madrid legend, Cristiano Ronaldo, has been named the world’s highest-paid athlete again. He recently topped Forbes’ latest rich list after the 40-year-old Portuguese striker earned an estimated £ 206.6 million ($275m) last year, an increase of £11.2m from 2023.
This makes it the third consecutive time Ronaldo is topping the prestigious Forbes list, and a 5th time during his illustrious football career.
Cristiano’s increased wealth is expected after he signed a £ 177 million-a-year contract with Saudi club Al Nassr, as soon as he left Manchester United in 2022.
Ronaldo has also been business-savvy enough to guarantee other streams of income via several sponsorships, and his long list of sponsors is thanks to his remarkable 939 million social media followers.
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Ronaldo’s £ 177 million-a-year contract has only ever been dwarfed by popular boxer, Floyd Mayweather, who earned a whopping $300m (then £194m) in 2015 and $275m in 2018 (then £205m).
CR7 edged NBA legend, Steph Curry, who was ranked second with a £117m ($156m) salary in a season that saw him become the first ever basketballer to hit 4,000 three-pointers.
Famous British boxer Tyson Fury was 3rd on the rich list, with an estimated salary of £109m ($146m) after two intense fights with Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh.
Ronaldo’s long-time nemesis, Lionel Messi, is ranked fifth, dropping down from an impressive third position in 2024.
The World Cup winner and Inter Milan maestro took home £101.4m ($135m) last year, with an estimated £56.2m ($75m) in off-field earnings.
