Cristiano Ronaldo, the highest-paid athlete in the world: $260 million earned in 2025

Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo remains the highest-paid athlete in the world for the third consecutive year, with total income estimated at $260 million in 2025, according to the ranking published by the specialized website Sportico. The publication analyzes the income of athletes globally annually, taking into account salaries, prizes, sponsorships and commercial partnerships. According to Sportico estimates, $200 million comes from the salary paid by the Saudi club Al-Nassr, where Ronaldo has been playing since 2023. The remaining $60 million represents additional income generated mainly from sponsorship contracts, image rights and commercial collaborations. This extra-sports component is up $15 million from 2024, consolidating the Portuguese's position as the absolute leader of the world ranking. The gap with the next highest-paid players is considerable: Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez is in second place, with $137 million, while Lionel Messi completes the podium, with $130 million.

• Basketball and baseball, strongly represented in the top

The Sportico ranking shows a consistent presence of basketball players in the top 15. LeBron James is the highest-paid player in the NBA, occupying fifth place, with $128.7 million, followed by Stephen Curry (7th place), Kevin Durant (9th place) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (13th place). In baseball, Juan Soto is in fourth place, with $129.2 million, and Shohei Ohtani impresses again with his commercial income. The Japanese is the only athlete in the ranking to exceed $100 million solely from additional income, accumulating a total of $102.5 million, of which only $2.5 million comes from salary.

• Formula 1 and individual sports

In Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton is the highest-ranked driver, occupying 11th place with $100 million, just ahead of world champion Max Verstappen, who is in 15th place. Golfer Jon Rahm completes the top 10 with $100.7 million, and other athletes from golf and American football confirm the diversity of disciplines represented in the ranking. In total, 11 athletes exceeded the symbolic threshold of $100 million in annual income in 2025, coming from seven different sports.