Cristiano Ronaldo is world's highest paid athlete after banking $260m in 2024

The National

13-02-2025

Cristiano Ronaldo has retained his place as the world's highest earning athlete, according to sports finance experts Sportico. The Al Nassr forward turned 40 last week and chose the occasion to state his claim to be the greatest footballer of all time. In an interview with Spanish television channel La Sexta, Ronaldo proclaimed himself 'the greatest scorer in history' and that he had 'never seen anyone better than me'. Ronaldo's self-confidence has never needed much of a lift, but perhaps earning $260 million in 2024 had something to do with it. That is how much the Portugal star took home thanks to his enormous $215m Al Nassr salary and a further $45m in endorsements. According to Sportico, Ronaldo has earned more than $100m for eight consecutive years, while 2024 marked his second straight year in the $200m-plus bracket. His incredibly lucrative switch to the kingdom has pushed his career earnings to more than $1.8 billion since his professional debut for Sporting Lisbon in 2002. Working with brands such as Nike, Herbalife, Altice and Binance, Ronaldo also rakes in millions in sponsorship cash, with brands exploiting his status as the world's most followed person on social media – his follower count exceeded one billion last year, led by 649m on Instagram. Saudi Arabia's drive into sport is evident throughout the top 10 earners, with six of them benefiting from Saudi pay checks in 2024. NBA star Steph Curry ($153.8m), in second place, remains the top earner in the American market, with Lionel Messi ($135m) in fourth and LeBron James ($133.2m) fifth. Former heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury ($147m) is third on the list, while Oleksandr Usyk – the man who beat him twice in Riyadh-hosted prizefights last year – is seventh ($122m). Brazil star Neymar, whose disastrous spell in Saudi football with Al Hilal recently ended with a free transfer back to Santos, is in sixth place with his $108m salary supplemented by $25m of sponsorship revenue. Al Ittihad striker Karim Benzema ($116m) is eighth, with his former France international teammate Kylian Mbappe in ninth ($116m). Mbappe, 26, is the youngest member of the top 10, and also the only athlete based in Europe. His haul was bolstered significantly by a free transfer from PSG to Real Madrid last summer. The top 10 is rounded off by golfer Jon Rahm who made a money-spinning switch to Saudi Arabia's LIV golf in 2024. There are no women in the top 100. NFL player Daniel Jones of the Minnesota Vikings earned $37.5m to take the final spot on the list, while the highest paid female athlete of last year was US tennis star Coco Gauff, who banked $30.4m. Gauff's earnings were boosted when she picked up a record prize pot at the WTA Finals, hosted in Riyadh for the first time in 2024. The steady flow of Saudi money can be seen throughout Sportico's top 100. Other footballers on the list from the Saudi Pro League include Al Ahli's Riyad Mahrez ($52m) and Al Nassr's Sadio Mane ($45.5m). Messi might have turned down a huge offer from the kingdom to join Inter Miami, but he still pockets $25m from a partnership with Saudi Arabia's tourism authority. The NBA (36 players) and NFL (22 players) make up nearly 60 per cent of the top 100, according to Sportico, with both leagues having raised their salary caps last year. The breakdown by sport for other athletes in the top 100 was football (12), baseball (11), golf (nine), boxing (six), tennis (two) and Formula One (two). The US dominates the top 100 with 64 athletes – the UK is next with five athletes, followed by Japan and France with three each.