Ronaldo Leads Top 10 of Highest Paid Athletes With €245 Million

Sports World Brings In Record Earnings

The top ten highest-paid athletes in 2025 earned a total of €1.27 billion, the highest amount ever recorded by Forbes since it began tracking these numbers in 1990. Many of the top earners are connected to Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in global sports, where investments have been rising across football, boxing, and golf. For the third consecutive year, and ever since he left professional football in Europe, Cristiano Ronaldo leads the list, this year with about €245 million in earnings. His income comes from both his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr and his many business ventures, including a major presence on YouTube and partnerships in wearable tech and media.

Global Spread of Sports and Profits, Lionel Messi Ranks 5th

Football, basketball, boxing, baseball, and American football dominate the list. Lionel Messi ranks fifth with €120 million, now playing for Inter Miami in the MLS. His role in increasing the popularity of American soccer continues to bring him commercial success. French striker Karim Benzema, now at Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, ranks eighth with €92 million. Like Ronaldo, his move from Europe to the Saudi league has brought both high pay and international attention.

Saudi Arabia has a criminal justice system based on Shari'ah. Execution is usually carried out by beheading with a sword. 2024 was the year with the highest number of beheadings in several decades (330). (…) Sentences are primarily given on confession. Human Rights Watch says the majority of people are tortured to obtain confession.

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The Full Top 10 List of the Highest Paid Sports Athletes in 2025

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – €245M (Football, Portugal, Al-Nassr)

2. Stephen Curry – €139M (Basketball, USA, Golden State Warriors)

3. Tyson Fury – €130M (Boxing, UK)

4. Dak Prescott – €122M (American Football, USA, Dallas Cowboys)

5. Lionel Messi – €120M (Football, Argentina, Inter Miami)

6. LeBron James – €119M (Basketball, USA, Los Angeles Lakers)

7. Juan Soto – €101M (Baseball, Dominican Republic, New York Mets)

8. Karim Benzema – €92M (Football, France, Al-Ittihad)

9. Shohei Ohtani – €91M (Baseball, Japan, Los Angeles Dodgers)

10. Kevin Durant – €90M (Basketball, USA, Phoenix Suns)

Source: Forbes