Forbes on Thursday released its 2024 top 10 highest-paid athletes in the world, with Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo topping the chart.
According to Forbes, he earned an estimated $260 million over the last 12 months, making him the highest-paid athlete in the world for the fourth time in his career.
The American Business Magazine estimates Ronaldo’s contract with Al Nassr earned him $200 million this season. And as one of the sports world’s most successful pitchmen, Ronaldo earned another $60 million off the field from an endorsement portfolio that includes Nike, Binance, and Herbalife, among others.
In total, the world’s 50 highest-paid athletes hauled in an estimated $3.88 billion over the last 12 months before taxes and agents’ fees, up 13% from last year’s record mark of $3.44 billion.
Roughly 76%, or $2.94 billion, came from on-field earnings (salaries, bonuses, and prize money), partly because of the Middle Eastern money continuing to flow into sports.
The other 24%, or $936 million, is attributable to their endorsements, appearances, licensing and memorabilia income, and other business endeavors, which is down 13% year-over-year from $1.08 billion.
Below is the list of the highest-paid athletes in the world
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – £205m
2. Jon Rahm – £172m
3. Lionel Messi – £107m
4. LeBron James – £101m
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo – £88m
6. Kylian Mbappe – £87m
7. Neymar – £85m
8. Karim Benzema – £84m
9. Stephen Curry – £81m
10. Lamar Jackson – £79m
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