Ronaldo tops Forbes highest-paid athlete list again

Saturday, 17 May 2025 00:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Cristiano Ronaldo has topped the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes for the third consecutive year, while NBA Star Stephen Curry has moved up to second.

The business magazine says Ronaldo, who has topped the list five times during his career, has increased his estimated total earnings by $ 15 million to $ 275 million (approx. £ 206 million).

That figure has only been surpassed by former world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned $ 300 million in 2015 (then £ 194 million) and $ 275 million in 2018 (then £ 205 million).

Portugal forward Ronaldo, 40, moved to the lucrative Saudi Pro League with Al Nassr in December 2022 and has generated greater income through off-field endorsements and sponsorship deals backed by his social media followers, which currently total at 939 million.

Golden State Warriors Guard Curry, who became the first NBA player to reach 4,000 career three-pointers in March, climbs up to second after earning $ 156 million (approx. £ 117 million).

British boxer Tyson Fury moved up to third with $ 146 million (approx. £ 109 million) despite losing his world heavyweight titles to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in December.

Fury was the beneficiary of a Netflix reality television show and a partnership with Maltese tourism.

Ronaldo’s long-standing rival Lionel Messi has fallen further behind the Portuguese after dropping from third to fifth.

World’s top 10 highest paid athletes 2025

Cristiano Ronaldo, football: $ 275 million
Stephen Curry, basketball: $ 156 million
Tyson Fury, boxing: $ 146 million
Dak Prescott, American football: $ 137 million
Lionel Messi, football: $ 135 million
LeBron James, basketball: $ 133.8 million
Juan Soto, baseball: $ 114 million
Karim Benzema, football: $ 104 million
Shohei Ohtani, baseball: $ 102.5 million
Kevin Durant, basketball: $ 101.4 million

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