Top 10 highest earning sports stars revealed with Cristiano Ronaldo raking in almost DOUBLE Lionel Messi’s salary

CRISTIANO RONALDO topped the earnings table for athletes last year, almost doubling that of his legendary rival Lionel Messi.

The pair made up two of the top three sporting earners on the planet.

Football and basketball dominated the top 10 rankings, with just two entrants sneaking in from the wider world of sport.

The list compiles both wages and off-field earnings to determine who really makes the most in the world of sports, , according to Data from bestbettingsitesoffers.co.uk

10) Lamar Jackson - £74.37million

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson topped the rankings for earnings amongst NFL athletes with his massive contract, and sneaks onto the list in tenth.

The 28-year-old signed the five-year deal in the summer of 2023, with his yearly pay increasing as the contract ages.

And he has earned it - two-time MVP award winner is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks the game has seen, known for his ability to run the ball as well as he can pass it.

9) Stephen Curry - £75.38million

Staying in America, Steph Curry takes the ninth spot, making slightly over a million more than his compatriot Jackson.

The Golden State Warriors point guard almost single-handedly changed his sport through his ability to sink three-pointers reliably from range, sparking a trend that has seen distance shooting grow in importance in recent years.

The 37-year-old may be nearing the twilight of his career, but he apparently still has enough in the tank to justify his wages, and to earn him a contract extension last year to take him through the 2026/27 season.

CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS

His figure is also helped by his extremely lucrative deal with Under Armour, which pays in company shares as well as his base fee.

8) Karim Benzema - £78.44million

The first footballer on the list is French forward Karim Benzema, whose iconic career with Real Madrid cemented him as one of the best attackers of his generation.

Like others on this list, his place in the top ten comes courtesy of The Saudi Pro League's massive investment into football in recent years.

His shocking 2023 move to Al-Ittihad in 2023 came with a huge contract worth hundreds of millions over three years, not bad for a then 35-year-old.

7) Neymar - £79.92million

Behind Messi and Ronaldo, Neymar is considered by many to be the third best footballer of his generation, a status that is duly reflected in his place on this list.

However, his journey there was more rocky than most, having made most of his money in the past year from a club for which he barely played.

Neymar swapped PSG for Saudi outfit Al-Hilal when he signed a record-breaking contract in 2023, but injury issues plagued his stay to the point that he played just seven games in his two years at the club.

He subsequently returned to his native Brazil, where he returned to his boyhood club Santos and has since enjoyed regular football again, albeit on a smaller wage.

6) Kylian Mbappe - £81.40million

The French phenom is arguably the best player in world football, so it's no surprise he'd feature in a top 10 list where footballers made up half the entrants.

The 26-year-old is the youngest entrant on the list thanks to his giant signing bonus and sponsorship deals, making up for the initial pay cut that he took to join Real Madrid.

One can only imagine his earnings growing as he carves out a legacy at one of the biggest clubs in football's history.

5) Giannis Antetokounmpo - £82.14million

The 'Greek Freak' is the next basketball star to grace the list, with earnings over £80million for the year, more than half of which coming from off-field endorsements, including a shoe line with Nike.

The 30-year-old, 6ft 11in beast is considered one of the best players to step foot on the court, and he is still going strong, last year notching his ninth straight all-star appearance.

He has spent his entire career to date with the Milwaukee Bucks who drafted him 15th overall in 2013, making the first 14 picks feel rather wasted in hindsight.

4) LeBron James - £94.87million

Rounding out basketball's presence on this list is LeBron James, one of sports' biggest stars over the past two decades.

'King James' was drafted first overall in 2003, and for the 22 years since has lit up the NBA with his ability and sheer longevity/

The 40-year-old exercised a near £40million extension last season to make this his 23rd year in the league, the most seasons anyone has ever played in the NBA.

Like Curry, James has taken equity in companies he has teamed up with, pushing his overall worth above the $1BILLION mark.

3) Lionel Messi - £99.90million

Arguably the finest footballer of all time, Lionel Messi is best known for his tenure with Barcelona, where he became part of one of the most legendary dynasties in modern football.

The 38-year-old had a comparatively unremarkable spell in France with PSG before making his way across the pond to the MLS to Inter Miami, the club part-owned by former Manchester United star David Beckham.

Alongside Giannis, Messi is one of just two members of the list who make more off the field of play than they do on it, thanks to Messi's worldwide brand recognition.

2) Jon Rahm - £161.32million

Jon Rahm is the only golfer on this list, so it may be surprising to some how large the gap is between him in second and Messi in third, a whopping £61.42million for 2025.

Once again, the difference comes down to Saudi Arabia's sudden investment in sports, with Rahm being the marquee competitor in Saudi backed golf venture LIV golf.

The Spanish golfer won the vast majority of his fortune for the year through competition, with LIV golf events at the forefront as he captains his team Legion XIII in the PGA Tour competitor event.

1) Cristiano Ronaldo - £192.40million

Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list thanks to his monumental wages at Saudi club Al-Nassr, and that was largely earned before he signed a renewal in June to increase his wages up to £488,000-A-DAY.

The 40-year-old star is considered among the best ever next to rival Messi, holding the record for Champions League goals and International goals.

His spells at United, Madrid and Italian giants Juventus have put him at the summit of the game since making his debut in 2002.

He is already considered the most prolific goalscorer in the history of the sport, and may add to that legacy as he closes in on 1,000 career goals, one for every £192,400 he earned this past year.