Cristiano Ronaldo Tops List of Highest-Paid Athletes for the Fourth Consecutive Year, with Just Two Fellow Footballers in the Top 10

CRISTIANO RONALDO was crowned the highest-paid sports star for a fourth year running.

But only two other footballers joined him in the top ten.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest-paid athlete on the planet Credit: Getty Canelo Alvarez took second after two blockbuster bouts in the last 12 months Credit: Getty

, 41, has topped Forbes’ rankings six times in the last 11 years now.

And he remains unbeatable since surpassing in 2023.

The latest figures show Ronaldo earned a staggering $300million – £223m – over the last 12 months before taxes and agents’ fees.

That equals the previous record set by Floyd Mayweather Jr when he bagged $300m in 2015 – although with inflation, that would be £317m in today’s money.

Of Ronaldo’s mammoth total, £175m comes from his staggering Al-Nassr contract, with a further £48m in endorsements, sponsorships and other business ventures such as his various brands.

The £223m is also a £19m increase from his 2025 tally.

Second on the 2026 list, £97m behind on £126m, is .

The Mexican boxer’s money was almost entirely made inside the ring, beating William Scull last May before in September.

Jon Rahm’s LIV Golf deal brought in the big bucks Credit: Getty Lionel Messi claimed third with an equal balance of on-pitch and off-pitch earnings Credit: Alamy

Ronaldo’s great rival Messi completes the podium with £104m – a 50-50 split between on-field and off-field earnings for the Inter Miami and Argentina icon.

Messi pipped NBA legend LeBron James (£103m) while baseball’s Shohei Ohtani claimed fifth.

Interestingly, just £2m of his £95m came on the MLB field and the rest came from his long list of sponsorships.

Steph Curry took sixth (£93m) from Jon Rahm (£80m).

The Spaniard’s mega money almost exclusively came from his .

Ronaldo’s ex-Real Madrid pal Karim Benzema is the third footballer.

Like the Portuguese idol, Benzema accepted the lucrative cash offer from Saudi Arabia and earned £77m over the last year.

That was fractionally more than another basketballer, Kevin Durant, while F1’s completed the top ten on £74m – hitting $100m for the first time in his career following his switch to Ferrari.

Basketball trio Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant were all in the list Credit: Getty Lewis Hamilton completed the top ten Credit: Getty

It means the average age of the top ten is 37 – the oldest in Forbes history – with three (Ronaldo, James and Hamilton) all aged 41.

Other entries of note lower down the list include Kylian Mbappe (12th, £71m), Patrick Mahomes (15th, £63m) Erling Haaland (19th, £60m), Rory McIlroy (20th, £57m), Jake Paul (23rd, £52m) and Carlos Alcaraz (32nd, £46m).

Alcaraz’s main rival at the top of tennis, Jannik Sinner, completed the top 50 on £41m.

But that meant no women made the list.

The most-recent top-paid female star – another tennis ace, Coco Gauff – made £25m in the 2025 report.