Cristiano Ronaldo Is World’s Highest-Paid Athlete For Third Consecutive Year

Cristiano Ronaldo maintains his position as the world’s highest-paid athlete for the third year running and the fifth time in his career, according to Forbes’ latest list. The business magazine reports that the Portugal and Al Nassr superstar’s total estimated earnings have jumped by $15 million to a staggering $275 million (around £206 million). Only boxing legend Floyd Mayweather has ever surpassed this figure in a single year.

Ronaldo’s move to the Saudi Pro League in December 2022 has paid off, not just through his on-field salary, which Forbes estimates at $225 million, but also via lucrative endorsements and sponsorship deals fueled by his massive social media following of 939 million. His off-field earnings reportedly amount to $50 million.

Over the past year, he’s invested in a wearable tech company (Whoop), a porcelain manufacturer (Vista Alegre), and a supplement brand (Bioniq). Adding another dimension to his ventures, Ronaldo announced a partnership in April with Matthew Vaughn, the writer and director of the Kingsman movies, to create a film studio.

He also launched a YouTube channel in August, which has already amassed 75 million subscribers. This platform has seen him share glimpses of his life, including his time at Paris Fashion Week and collaborations with MrBeast, and even broadcast a padel tournament in Riyadh that reportedly drew over 600,000 viewers.

Ronaldo’s long-time rival, Lionel Messi, now plays in the MLS for Inter Miami and has slipped to fifth place with $135 million in earnings ($60m on-field, $75m off-field). Notably, in September, Ronaldo became the first male footballer to score 900 official goals.

Here’s the Forbes top 10 list of the highest-paid athletes for 2025:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (football) – $275 million (on-field $225m; off-field $50m)
2. Stephen Curry (NBA) – $156m (on-field $56m; off-field $100m)
3. Tyson Fury (boxing) – $146m (on-field $140m; off-field $6m)
4. Dak Prescott (NFL) – $137m (on-field $127m; off-field $10m)
5. Lionel Messi (football) – $135m (on-field $60m; off-field $75m)
6. LeBron James (NBA) – $133.8m (on-field $48.8m; off-field $85m)
7. Juan Soto (MLB) – $114m (on-field $109m; off-field $5m)
8. Karim Benzema (football) – $104m (on-field $100m; off-field $4m)
9. Shohei Ohtani (MLB) – $102.5m (on-field $2.5m; off-field $100m)
10. Kevin Durant (NBA) – $101.4m (on-field $51.4m; off-field $50m)