For the fourth time in his career, world-famous football player Cristiano Ronaldo has topped Forbes’ list of the highest-paid sportsmen.
In 2020, Ronaldo—who won the Ballon d’Or five times—became the first athlete participating in team sports to earn more than $1 billion in career earnings.
Apart from his exclusive partnership with Nike, Ronaldo generates revenue off the pitch by selling apparel, accessories, lodging, and fitness centres under the CR7 brand.
Ronaldo became the first individual in history to reach 500 million followers on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook in February 2021. In March of 2024, he possessed 903 million.
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He surpassed the record of Brazilian great Pele in March 2021, when he scored a hat trick against Serie A rival Cagliari to reach 770 goals overall.
August 2021 saw him leave Juventus and join Manchester United, where he had played from 2003 to 2009. In December 2022, he then made the move to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
For the fourth time in his career, he became the highest-paid athlete in the world with an estimated earnings of $260 million over the previous 12 months. According to Forbes, Ronaldo made $200 million this season from his deal with Al Nassr.
Ronaldo made an additional $60 million off the pitch from his portfolio of endorsement deals, which included Herbalife, Nike, and Binance.
Jon Rahm, a Spanish golfer who recently joined the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, earned second place.
Rahm is one of just two athletes to earn more than $200 million, having earned $218 million.
The eight-time Ballon dÓr winner Lionel Messi came in third on the list after earning $135 million to join Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami.
Basketball players LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, with respective salaries of $128 million and $111 million, took fourth and fifth position.