Ronaldo the most paid footballer of decade with £617m fortune, Messi follows

American lifestyle magazine Forbes counted down the top ten richest athletes of the 2010s and the Floyd Mayweather came way out on top. He has congratulated Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after it was revealed they were the highest-paid athletes of the decade.

The boxing icon, 42, earned an eye-watering £706MILLION ($915m) from his boxing career in the last ten years.

It was Ronaldo who edged in front of his great rival, Messi, earning an estimated £617m ($800m) over the decade, compared to £578.5m ($750m) for the Argentinian.

Ronaldo's profile off the pitch is second to none, with the Portuguese commanding huge endorsement deals and gaining massive followings on social media.

Indeed, he has the highest number of followers on Instagram and Facebook.

Messi, meanwhile, is content to earn a huge wage for his stellar performance on the pitch - no salary is higher than what the Barcelona No10 picks up every week at the Nou Camp.

In fourth place is basketball legend LeBron James with a salary over the decade of £524.5m ($680m).