Ronaldo & Messi tops the world’s highest-paid athlete

Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as the world’s highest-paid athlete in Forbes’ annual rich list after collecting an incredible £109million over the past year.

Ronaldo endured a difficult end to 2022 on the pitch after falling out of favour at Manchester United, which led to an explosive tell-all interview with Piers Morgan that brought his second stint at the club to an abrupt close.

Yet while his acrimonious Old Trafford departure was a low point, as was the lack of top European teams interested in signing him, the 38-year-old hit the jackpot when he put pen to paper on a staggering £175million-a-year contract with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr in January.

That lucrative switch has propelled him back to the top of Forbes’ athlete rich list for the first time since 2017 and the third time overall, with an overall income of $136million (£109million) the highest figure from a footballer in history.

An estimated $46million (£37million) of that income has come on the field – which Forbes say ‘blends together his two contracts for this season and accounts for his brief unemployment’ – while close to double the amount has come through off-field endorsements.

THE WORLD’S 10 HIGHEST-PAID ATHLETES (FORBES)
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – $136million (£109million)

2. Lionel Messi – $130million (£104million)

3. Kylian Mbappe – $120million (£96million)

4. LeBron James – $119.5million (£95million)

5. Canelo Alvarez – $110million (£88million)

6. Dustin Johnson – $107million (£86million)

7. Phil Mickelson – $106million (£85million)

8. Stephen Curry – $100.4million (£81million)

9. Roger Federer – $95.1million (£76million)

10. Kevin Durant – $89.1million (£72million)