Cristiano Ronaldo Is Highest Paid Athlete Worldwide In 2023

Al-Nassr forward, Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest-paid athlete in the world according to Forbes.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the highest-paid footballer in the history of football after moving to the Saudi Arabian club from Manchester United in the summer of 2022.

The 38-year-old Portuguese football icon has a contract with Al Nassr which reportedly pays him $17.75 million per month and it will expire in 2025.

Forbes claimed that Ronaldo’s contract with Al Nassr is worth over $219.98 million per year, a staggering amount that has never been paid to a footballer before now.

Ronaldo’s arch-rival, Lionel Messi is second on the list of highest-paid athletes in the world. Forbes claimed that the 35-year-old Argentine football icon who is currently contracted to PSG is earning $130 million per year.

His teammate at PSG, Kylian Mbappe is the third highest-paid athlete in the world thanks to the mega-deal the 24-year-old French star signed with the French club in 2022. Mbappe currently earns $120 million.

The Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James (38-year-old, $119.5 million) and Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez (32-year-old, $110 million) rounded out the top five.

After the contentious switch to LIV Golf, former world number one Dustin Johnson (38-year-old, $107 million), and fellow LIV golfer Phil Mickelson (52-year-old, $106 million), are the highest earning golfers in the world and 6th and 7th, respectively, highest-paid athletes.

Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns (34-year-old, $89.1m) and four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry (35-year-old, $100.4m) are the other two basketball players on the top ten highest-paid athletes list.

The only retired athlete in the top 10 is former world-class tennis player Roger Federer (41-year-old, $95.1m).