With earnings of $275 million, Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the world's highest-paid athlete for the fifth time. According to US magazine Forbes, the Portuguese international footballer topped the list for the third consecutive year, with no women featured in the ranking of the 50 highest earners.
"For the third consecutive year, and for the fifth time overall, Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest-paid athlete in the world," stated the Forbes article. The publication noted that "between his salary from Al Nassr and his business ventures off the field," the captain of the national team earned $275 million (approximately 246 million euros). This figure, recorded before taxes and agent commissions, represents the third-largest annual income for an active athlete since Forbes created this ranking. Ronaldo's earnings are surpassed only by boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned $300 million (268 million euros) in 2015 and $285 million (255 million euros) in 2018.
In the list of the world's highest-paid athletes for 2025, which compiles earnings from the past 12 months, Ronaldo, who also led the ranking in 2016 and 2017, is followed at a significant distance by basketball player Stephen Curry. The $156 million (140 million euros) earned by Curry, who plays for the Golden State Warriors, sets a new record in this sport, specifically in the North American League (NBA), surpassing the $128.2 million (115 million euros) accumulated by LeBron James in 2024.
The list, which does not include any women in the top 50—a point highlighted in an analytical piece by Forbes—places boxer Tyson Fury in third place with earnings of $146 million (around 131 million euros). Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, who led the list in 2019 and 2022, is ranked fifth.
Source https://postal.pt/ Photo AFP | DR
