Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has led the way again in Forbes’ list of the top 10 highest paid athletes of the year.
The 2025 line-up also features British former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi.
Karim Benzema, who is second only to Ronaldo in Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer list, is among the top 10, as is NBA superstar Steph Curry.
101GreatGoals.com takes a look at the highest paid athletes of 2025, including how much Ronaldo raked in and his reported salary.
Who is the highest paid athlete in the world?
Portugal captain Ronaldo was the highest earning athlete of the year for the third time in a row and the fifth overall, according to the financial oracular.
The 40-year-old earned $225 million (more than £169m) on the pitch for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr during the year and is said to have received $50m (almost £38m) through interests off the pitch, including investments in wearable tech company Whoop, porcelain manufacturer Vista Alegre and supplement brand Bioniq.
The former Juventus, Manchester United and Sporting striker created a YouTube channel in August that already has more than 75 million subscribers.
He remains the most popular figure in the world on social media platforms Instagram, Facebook and X, amassing more than 939 million followers in total.
On the all-time list, only boxer Floyd Mayweather eclipses Ronaldo, having earned an estimated $300m (£226m) in 2015 and $285m (£214.5m) in 2018.
Ronaldo’s two fellow footballers in the top 10 are led by the man who is regarded by many as his arch-rival for the title of the greatest modern footballer of all time.
Inter Miami’s Messi is said to have earned $60m (£45m) on the pitch and $75m (£56.5m) off it, putting the Argentina skipper fifth overall.
Former France forward Benzema, who plays for Saudi leaders Al-Ittihad, is eighth, with $100m (£75m) accounted for on the pitch and $4m (£3m) off it.
Top 10 highest paid athletes 2025
Here are Forbes’ top 10 earners for 2025.
Ronaldo (football) – $275m (£206.8m)Steph Curry (basketball) – $156m (£117.3m)Tyson Fury (boxing) – $146m (£109.8m)Dak Prescott (American football) – $137m (£103m)Lionel Messi (football) – $135m (£101.5m)LeBron James (basketball) – $133.8m (£100.6m)Juan Soto (baseball) – $114m (£85.7m)Karim Benzema (football) – $104m (£78.2m)Shohei Ohtani (baseball) – $102.5m (£77.1m)Kevin Durant (basketball) – $101.4m (£76.3m)
Ronaldo weekly salary
Ronaldo was said to have surpassed $1 billion (£771m) in career earnings two years before becoming the most high-profile footballer to move to Saudi Arabia in December 2022 following his departure from United.
His deal, which runs until the end of the 2024/25 season, is widely reported to be worth £14.75m a month or £3.4m per week.
How much does Ronaldo make a year?
Ronaldo’s annual salary is said to be £177m per year, made up of £62m for his football salary, supplemented by commercial bonuses.
The player known as CR7 has a variety of lucrative sponsorship deals, with his recent endorsements including Whoop, video game UFL and cryptocurrency exchange Binance.
Footballer salary list: Mbappe, Neymar, Vinicius, Haaland, Mane
Real Madrid and France talisman Kylian Mbappe leads the list of five footballers named on Forbes’ 49-strong list outside the top 10, on $90m (£68m).
Santos and Brazil’s Neymar is 25th ($76m/£57m) with Manchester City and Norway’s Erling Haaland 34th ($62m/£47m).
Madrid and the Selecao’s Vinicius Junior is one behind golf icon Tiger Woods in 46th ($55m/£41m), while Al-Nassr and Senegal forward Sadio Mane is 48th ($54m/£41m).
