WORLD'S GREATEST!: Ronaldo tops Messi, Mbappe and Neymar in top 100 list

Suraj Radia

• 13 Feb 2025 21:00 GMT
• 3 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo has once again been named the highest-paid athlete in the world, beating out rivals such as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

A list by Sportico revealed that Ronaldo is the top earning sportsperson in the world for the second year running in a top ten list that contained no women.

Ronaldo reportedly earns nearly double that of NBA star Stephen Curry, with the Portuguese star making $260 million annually compared to $153.8m by the Golden State Warriors legend.

READ MORE: How many goals has Cristiano Ronaldo scored in his career?

The amount takes into account salary and endorsements although Ronaldo earns a vast amount of his income through his $215m annual contract with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, which is due to expire in the summer.

Tyson Fury is third before Messi, whose salary at Inter Miami is a fraction of Ronaldo’s at $60m, yet the Argentine superstar has the third-highest endorsement value of anyone at $75m.

Neymar’s move to Santos earlier this year puts him just $200k behind LeBron James at $133m annually, with Karim Benzema and Mbappe marking the only other footballers in the top ten.

Top 100 richest athletes list sees footballers total $1.21bn

Benzema’s $108m salary with Al-Ittihad marks his status as the ninth-highest paid player in world sport despite only making $8m annually with endorsements – the third lowest in the top ten ahead of boxers Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

Mbappe, meanwhile, joined Real Madrid last summer from Paris Saint-Germain, penning a contract worth $85m, putting him ninth with a total of $110m including endorsements.

Despite footballers making up a large portion of the top ten, only 12 players in total made it in the top 100 – ten less than the NFL and 24 less than the NBA.

READ MORE: Who will win Ballon d’Or 2024? Shortlist, favourites, latest odds, date and past winners

NBA stars amassed a stunning $2.02 billion across the top 100, with NFL stars making $1.21bn in comparison ahead of footballers, who totalled $1.11bn.

The other footballers in the top 100 include stars such as Erling Haaland, Vinicius Junior and Harry Kane, as well as more players based in Saudi Arabia like Riyad Mahrez and Sadio Mane.