Forbes has named Cristiano Ronaldo the 2023 highest-paid athlete in the world ahead of his longtime football rival Lionel Messi and stars in other sports to reclaim the title for the first time in six years.
According to Forbes, the five-time Ballon d’Or, currently on an annual record salary of £176.5 million with his Saudi Arabia club Al Nassr, ratcheted up $136 million (£108.7 million) in earnings in the past 12 months to return to the summit of the list for the first time since 2017.
A huge chunk of Ronaldo’s earnings, up to $90 million, came from paid advertisements. His salary contributed $75 million to his earnings in the last year. The former Manchester United superstar boasts 850 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, which makes him an ideal brand for promotions.
Cryptocurrency exchange platform Binance, American clothing company Nike, and football platform LiveScore, are some of the big brands that Ronaldo is serving as brand ambassador for as he continues to grow as one of the world’s most influential brands.
Lionel Messi is second on the list, with annual earnings of $130 million (£103.9 million). The Argentine footballer’s income was equally split between his on-field and off-field earnings; Adidas, Budweiser and PepsiCo are some of the World Cup winner’s lucrative deals.
PSG star Kylian Mbappe came third with an annual income of $120 million (£95.9 million) to put footballers in the top three – most of the France international earnings are from his on-field activities, which make up $100 million of the sum while the remaining are from outside football.
Top 10 highest-paid athletes in 2023
- Cristiano Ronaldo, football: $136m (£108.7m)
- Lionel Messi, football: $130m (£103.9m)
- Kylian Mbappe, football: $120m (£95.9m)
- LeBron James, basketball: $119.5m (£95.5m)
- Canelo Alvarez, boxing: $110m (£87.9m)
- Dustin Johnson, golf: $107m (£85.5m)
- Phil Mickelson, golf: $106m (£84.7m)
- Stephen Curry, basketball: $100.4m (£80.2m)
- Roger Federer, tennis: $95.1m (£76m)
- Kevin Durant, basketball: $89.1m (£71.2m)
