“For the third consecutive year, and for the fifth time, Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest-paid athlete in the world,” reads the Forbes article, which details that, “between his salary from Al Nassr and the income from his businesses off the field,” the captain of the national team earned 275 million dollars (around 246 million euros).

This amount, recorded before taxes and agent commissions, represents the third best annual income of an active athlete since Forbes compiled this ranking, with ‘CR7’ being beaten only by boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned US$ 300 million (268 ME) in 2015 and 285 million (255 ME) in 2018.

In the list of the world's highest-paid athletes, for 2025 and which compiles income from the last 12 months, Ronaldo, who also topped this ranking in 2016 and 2017, is followed at a great distance by basketball player Stephen Curry.

The 156 million dollars (140 ME) of the American who leads the Golden State Warriors represents a record in this modality, more specifically in the North American League (NBA), and beats the 128.2 million (115 ME) accumulated by LeBron James in 2024.

In a list with no women in the top 50, boxer Tyson Fury, with 146 million dollars (around 131 ME), is the third highest paid, with Argentine football player Lionel Messi being 'only' fifth - he led the list in 2019 and 2022.

The Inter Miami striker, from the North American Soccer League, received US$ 135 million (around 121 ME), slightly more than LeBron James, who is sixth.