Portuguese striker pulls in $260m in 2024, far forward of these subsequent on the record: Stephen Curry, Tyson Fury, Lionel Messi and LeBron James.
Cristiano Ronaldo once more topped the record of the world’s highest paid athletes with a complete earnings of $260m in 2024, in line with sports activities trade information website Sportico, however there have been no girls within the high 100.
The main 100, dominated by gamers from soccer, the NBA, NFL, golf and boxing, earned an estimated $6.2bn in complete earnings final 12 months. The determine consists of $4.8bn in wage and prize cash plus $1.4bn in endorsements.
Former United States Open tennis champion Coco Gauff was the top-earning feminine athlete final 12 months at $30.4m, nicely in need of Daniel Jones, quarterback of American soccer’s Minnesota Vikings, who squeezed in at quantity 100 with a complete earnings of $37.5m.
Ronaldo’s profitable contract with Saudi Arabian soccer workforce Al-Nassr ensured he retained the highest spot for a second straight 12 months after he moved to the Saudi Professional League in December 2022.
Sportico mentioned the Portugal ahead, who celebrated his fortieth birthday final week, earned a hefty $215m in wages whereas he additionally made $45m in endorsements. Forbes final 12 months reported an estimated return of $260m for the previous Manchester United and Actual Madrid ahead.
Ronaldo is thus far forward of the opposite athletes on the planet that Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who’s second on the record, got here in additional than $100m in need of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. The NBA star earned $153.8m in 2024.
British boxer Tyson Fury, who misplaced to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in a heavyweight conflict in December, is third on the record at $147m.
The highest 5 are rounded out by Inter Miami’s Argentina captain Lionel Messi ($135m) and Los Angeles Lakers ahead LeBron James ($133.2m), the one 40-year-old at the moment enjoying within the NBA.
The highest 100 is made up of athletes who play eight sports activities and hail from 27 international locations.
Whereas the American Gauff, who is barely 20, may climb up the record within the years to return, there have been different feminine athletes who would have cracked the record up to now.
Enterprise journal Forbes mentioned Japan’s four-time Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka was the world’s highest paid feminine athlete in 2022 after she pulled in $57.3m in prize cash and endorsements.
Retired tennis nice Serena Williams, who gained 23 singles majors, earned $41.8m in 2021, in line with Forbes. The American retired from the game in 2022 on the US Open.
