Cristiano Ronaldo Named World’s Highest Paid Athlete After Raising £109Million This Year
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the world’s highest paid athlete Forbes’ annual rich list after collecting an incredible £109 million in the last year.
Ronaldo had a rough end to 2022 on the pitch after falling out of favor with Manchester United, leading to an explosively revealing interview with Piers Morgan that brought his second spell at the club to an abrupt end.
But while his acrimonious departure from Old Trafford 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 with a stunning £175m per month contract. year. with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr in January.
That lucrative move has propelled him back to the top of Forbes’ list of athlete empires for the first time since 2017 and third time in total, with a total income of $136 million (£109 million), the highest figure for a footballer in the world. history.
An estimated $46m (£37m) of that income has hit the field – which Forbes says “combines his two contracts for this season and explains his brief unemployment” – while nearly double the amount has come in through notes outside the field. field. .
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as the world’s highest paid athlete in Forbes rich list
Ronaldo, who joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr earlier this year, netted a whopping £109 million last year
His old rival Lionel Messi (right) is second in the list after earning £104 million
Only three athletes in Forbes history have beaten his off-field total of $90 million (£72 million) in a year: Roger Federer, Tiger Woods and Conor McGregor.
Just behind Ronaldo in second place is his old rival Lionel Messi, who has dropped one place after topping the table last year.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar earned a total of $130 million (£104 million), the same amount he earned in 2022, with his on- and off-pitch income split right in the middle.
Another football star, Messi’s PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe, follows him in third place after bringing in $120 million (£96 million) over the past 12 months, of which $100 million (£80 million) came on the pitch.
Mbappé, the only member of the list under the age of 30, takes home the highest salary in the world at the Parc des Princes at an astonishing £63 million a year.
The 24-year-old is the last footballer in the top 10, followed by basketball icon LeBron James ($119.5 million/£95 million) and boxing master Canelo Alvarez ($110 million/£88 million).
Golf star Dustin Johnson is sixth after earning $107 million (£86 million), of which $102 million (£90 million) came from competition, just ahead of Phil Mickelson in seventh place with $106 million (£85 million).
Another basketball player, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, is currently the eighth highest paid athlete in the world after raking in $100.4 million (£81 million).
Kylian Mbappé follows his Paris Saint-Germain teammate in third place after earning £96 million
Basketball icon LeBron James is said to have earned 95 million pounds in the past 12 months
Golf star Dustin Johnson is sixth on the list after earning an estimated £86 million
Tennis legend Roger Federer makes top 10 despite only making £80,000 on the court
Roger Federer is the only tennis star to rank ninth, despite only earning $100,000 (£80,000) of his $95.1m (£76m) total income on the court.
Federer announced his retirement from professional tennis in September, but the Swiss legend maintains numerous lucrative off-court partnerships and recently announced a licensing deal for his RF brand with eyewear maker Oliver Peoples.
The list is completed by a third basketball figure in Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant ($89.1 million/£72 million).
Forbes states that their on-field earnings “include all prize money, salaries and bonuses earned between May 1, 2022 and May 1, 2023,” while their off-field records “are an estimate of sponsorship deals, appearances and memorabilia and licensing income for the 12 months prior to May 1, 2023, plus cash proceeds from all companies controlled by the athlete, based on conversations with industry insiders.”