Cristiano Ronaldo tops list of the highest-paid athletes in 2023

The Portuguese legend takes home bragging rights for the world’s highest-paid athlete after signing a bumper deal at Al Nassr.

After a tumultuous year and a half at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo made a stirring change by moving to Saudi Arabia. His move to Al Nassr has certainly paid off for the Portuguese superstar; not only did he continue to rack up the goals in Riyadh – but his whopping contract also rewarded him with a huge pay rise.

According to Forbes, Ronaldo will pocket an astonishing $136 million dollars from the deal. He tops the list of the highest-paid athletes in the world for the first time since 2017, and the third in his career overall.

Second on this year’s list is Lionel Messi. The PSG star takes an incredible $130 million in earnings. Teammate Kylian Mbappe pulls up close behind in third, with his impressive haul of $120 million. His earnings are closely matched by LeBron James. The NBA legend and LA Lakers star makes $119.5 million annually. Boxer Canelo Alvarez completes the top five, earning $110 million.

1) Cristiano Ronaldo (Football player) – $136 million

2) Lionel Messi (Football player) – $130 million

3) Kylian Mbappe (Football player) – $120 million

4) LeBron James (Basketball player) – $119.5 million

5) Canelo Alvarez (Boxer) – $110 million

6) Dustin Johnson (Golfer) – $107 million

7) Phil Mickelson (Golfer) – $106 million

8) Stephen Curry (Basketball player) – $100.4 million

9) Roger Federer (Former tennis player) – $95.1 million

10) Kevin Durant (Basketball player) – $89.1 million