Ronaldo Leads Forbes' List Of Highest-Paid Athletes Ahead Of Messi, Benzema, Curry

Doha, Qatar: Portuguese football icon Cristiano Ronaldo leads Forbes' list of the World's Highest-Paid Athletes for the third consecutive year with estimated earnings of $275 million over the past twelve months.

This number puts him behind retired boxer Floyd Mayweather in the third best-years by an active athlete ever measured by Forbes. Mayweather earned $300 million in 2015 and $285 million in 2018.

• Cristiano Ronaldo's eldest son called up by Portugal Under-15s
• NBA champion Celtics eliminated from playoffs by rampant Knicks

Ronaldo has made most of his fortune thanks to his lucrative deal at Al-Nassr but many side investments have helped boost this number - Despite being on the hunt to become the first football player to score 1000 goals in official matches, Ronaldo has found the time to make various social media appearances and invest in many companies such as tech company Whoop, porcelain manufacturer Vista Alegre and supplement brand Bioniq. He has also recently announced his partnership with director Matthew Vaughn and their plans to open up a film studio.

Golden State Warriors Point Guard Stephen Curry is second on the list after earning $156 million, and an impressive gap of $119 million exists between both athletes.

Ronaldo is however not the only football player who's made an impressive earning this year as historical rival Lionel Messi finds himself fifth on the list with earnings of $135 million and current SSL champion Karim Benzema eighth with $104 million.

Many athletes on this list have followed in Ronaldo's model - NBA player Kevin Durant (earning $101 million) for instance has acquired a stake in French football club Paris Saint-Germain in summer of 2024.

The other athletes who have made it to the top 10 list are boxer Tyson Fury (earning $146 million), NFL star Dak Prescott ($137 million), NBA's all-time lead scorer LeBron James ($133 million), and baseball athletes Juan Soto ($114 million) and Shohei Ohtani ($102 million).

The World's top 10 highest-paid athletes in 2025:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo, football, $275 million
2. Stephen Curry, basketball, $156 million
3. Tyson Fury, boxing, $146 million
4. Dak Prescott, American football, $137 million
5. Lionel Messi, football, $135 million
6. LeBron James, basketball, $133 million
7. Juan Soto, baseball, $114 million
8. Karim Benzema, football, $104 million
9. Shohei Ohtani, baseball, $102 million
10. Kevin Durant, basketball, $101 million

MENAFN17052025000063011010ID1109560941