Cristiano Ronaldo’s footballing powers might be waning at the grand old age of 40 but he remains the highest-paid sportsperson on the planet, according to new figures.
Forbes magazine has published its annual report on the income of the world’s biggest athletes and, for a third year in a row, Ronaldo has topped the list.
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The Portugal international, now playing for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr, is estimated to have brought in $275m (£207m) during the 12-month period under assessment.
That put Ronaldo clear of Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry ($156m) and heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury ($146m). Lionel Messi, star of Argentina and Inter Miami, was fifth on the list with earnings of $135m, narrowly behind Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott.
Portuguese eclipses Messi again
It has taken a move to the Saudi Pro League to cement Ronaldo’s position as the highest paid athlete in the world but the veteran forward is now close to breaking new records.
With on-field earnings of $225m topped up by another $50m of commercial income, Forbes say 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, in fact, has widened the gap at the top of the highest paid athletes. He is estimated to have earned $119m more than any other athlete in the last 12 months. Others have greater off-field earning potential, like Curry and Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani, but Ronaldo is unlikely to be caught any time soon if the patterns are extended.
Lionel Messi is another whose commercial earnings dwarf those of Ronaldo as the face of the MLS but the Argentina international continues to lag far behind his long-standing adversary.
Messi’s annual earnings were reported to be $135m, marginally ahead of the LA Lakers’ LeBron James.
Premier League lacking A-listers?
The Premier League considers itself to be among the most watched competitions in the world so it is perhaps incongruous that just one player from England’s top-flight features in the Forbes list for 2025.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland comes in at number 34 in the rankings, with earnings of $62m. He also sits fourth on the list for athletes aged 25 and under.
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Beyond him, though, nobody. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, 38th last year, does not make the latest top 50. Nor does Manchester City’s outgoing midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who Forbes estimated to be in the top 10 highest paid soccer players in the world last year.
The only other European league to have any of its stars included was La Liga, with Real Madrid pair Kylian Mbappe coming in at 16th ($90m) with and Vinicius Junior at 46th ($55m).
Saudi presence growing
John Rahm is again the highest-earning golfer in the world after opting to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour last year and the country’s creeping influence continues to be noted elsewhere.
Half of the eight footballers named on Forbes’ list played in the Saudi Pro League during the 12 months being assessed. As well as Ronaldo, poster boy of the competition, there was Al-Ittihad’s Karim Benzema with earnings of $104m and Sadio Mane, who is estimated to have brought in $54m playing for Al-Nassr.
In between the pair was Brazilian Neymar, who has since joined boyhood club Santos after two injury-hit years with Al-Hilal. The 33-year-old is said to have earned $76m.
In the nation that will host the 2034 World Cup there is no shortage of footballers making hay.
The elders lead the way
Age is but a number and it is those with greatest experience that continue to make most. Five of the eight footballers that Forbes include in their top 50 are aged 33 or over, suggesting that time is needed to build an individual’s brand and status.
Mbappe, 26, has long had huge earning potential after winning the World Cup with France at the age of 19 but Haaland and Vinicius, both 24, are the only other footballers under the age of 30 who can command a place in Forbes’ top 50.
That will inevitably change in the years to come should Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal continue on his current trajectory.
Top photo: Clicks Images/Getty Images
