Cristiano Ronaldo has once again secured the top spot on Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes. It marked the fourth time in his career.
Ronaldo is the highest paid athletes
This achievement comes after his transfer to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. It propelled his estimated total earnings to a record-breaking $260 million. The Portuguese footballer’s on-field earnings reached $200 million, with an additional $60 million generated from off-field ventures. It is primarily through lucrative sponsorship deals leveraging his massive Instagram following of 629 million.
Forbes highest paid athletes list
Meanwhile, Spanish golfer Jon Rahm climbed to second place on the list following his move to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf. Rahm is a two-time major winner. He made headlines with his transfer in December. It reportedly securing a minimum of $300 million. In addition to this guaranteed sum, Rahm has earned $218 million. It made him one of the select few athletes to surpass the $200 million mark in earnings. Third in the ranking is Lionel Messi. He is an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. He recently joined Major League Soccer team Inter Miami. It contributed to the Argentine World Cup champion’s total earnings of $135 million. The 36-year-old athlete has accumulated $65 million from his on-field performances. He also earned an additional $70 million from lucrative sponsorship deals with major brands like Adidas and Apple. Following closely behind is LeBron James, a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, with a total income of $128.2 million. Despite being 39 years old and approaching the twilight of his career, James, the first NBA player to reach 40,000 career points. He is gearing up for one final shot at the Olympics.
