Ronaldo Named World’s Highest Paid Athlete For Third Consecutive Year

For the third straight year, Cristiano Ronaldo has secured the top spot on Forbes' list of highest-paid athletes. As per the annual report, the Portugal forward's estimated total earnings are around $275 million. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi was fifth on the list with earnings of $135 million. Karim Benzema ranked eighth with $104 million in earnings.

It is worth mentioning that the Al Nassr star has topped the list five times in his career. The latest figure includes on-field earnings of $225m topped up by another $50m of commercial income. As per Forbes, the $275m brought in during 12 months has only ever been bettered by boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned $300m in 2015 and $285m in 2018. Ronaldo joined the Saudi Pro League in December 2022 and has increased his income due to endorsements and sponsorships leveraging his large social media following.

American basketball star Stephen Curry is second on the list after earning $156 million. Tyson Fury, the heavyweight boxer, ranks third with $146 million. Forbes' top 50 includes eight footballers, and five of them are 33 or older.

World's top 10 highest paid athletes 2025

1. Cristiano Ronaldo, football: $275m

2. Stephen Curry, basketball: $156m

3. Tyson Fury, boxing: $146m

4. Dak Prescott, American football: $137m

5. Lionel Messi, football: $135m

6. LeBron James, basketball: $133.8m

7. Juan Soto, baseball: $114m

8. Karim Benzema, football: $104m

9. Shohei Ohtani, baseball: $102.5m

10. Kevin Durant, basketball: $101.4m