Football players dominate finance: Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest paid athlete in the world

Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest paid athlete in the world in 2023according to the Forbes magazine list, which ranks second and third behind Leo Messi and Kylian Mbappé, respectively.

The Portuguese tops this ranking, which analyzes the global business of sports stars from May 1, 2022 to May 1, 2023. with an income of $136 million, thanks in large part to the $75 million he earns a year as a salary at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

Ronaldo won $90 million from his endorsements and other off-field cases, while he received $46 million for his on-field performance. (Forbes included in his calculations what he received at Manchester United and Al Nasr in addition to his time without a team).

So Cristiano snatched number one from Forbes on Messi, who was the highest paid athlete in 2022 with $130 million and is second on the 2023 list with the same amount ($65 million on the field and another $65 off the field).

mbappeArgentinean teammate at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), finishing the podium with $120 millionof which “only” $20 million was generated from his off-pitch activities.

From my side, LeBron Jameswho this year became the leading scorer in NBA history, is fourth with $119.5 million and the fifth position is the Mexican boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez with $110 million.

American golfers Dustin Johnson ($107 million) And Phil Mickelson ($106 million) They finished sixth and seventh respectively after leaving the PGA Tour and joining the controversial Saudi LIV Golf.

Stephen Curry ($100.4M), Roger Federer ($95.1M, almost entirely from his non-tennis business) and Kevin Durant ($89.1M) in that order, they rounded out the top ten highest paid athletes in the world.