Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list of the highest-paid athletes. Lionel Messi and Lewis Hamilton are absent.
Cristiano Ronaldo has surpassed Lionel Messi as the world's highest-paid active athlete, with basketball great LeBron James sliding out of the top three. Antoine Mbappe
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the highest-paid athlete on Forbes' rich list for 2023.
Following his big-money move to Al-Nassr at the start of the January transfer window, Ronaldo, 38, has surpassed Lionel Messi and LeBron James to take the top rank. The former Manchester United great is now the world's highest-paid athlete, earning roughly Ł175 million per year in the Middle East.
Since moving to Saudi Arabia, the Portuguese superstar has scored 12 goals and provided two assists in 12 Saudi Pro League matches. According to rumours, Ronaldo already wants to leave Al-Nassr, and Georgina Rodriguez is 'desperate' to return to Madrid.
According to El Nacional, Los Blancos are willing to offer Ronaldo an ambassadorial job rather than sign him back as a player because that option is 'closed'. Ronaldo scored 451 goals in 438 matches during his career at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Messi, however, has fallen to second in the world - at least monetarily - with his future at PSG uncertain. The Argentine is rumoured to be returning to Barcelona, with options to Saudi Arabia and the United States potentially on the table.
Messi has numerous lucrative endorsements, including those with Adidas, Budweiser, PepsiCo, and Socios. Despite his advanced age, the 35-year-old remains one of the world's most valuable assets despite this, he has 15 goals and 15 assists in 28 Ligue 1 appearances this season.
After another outstanding season with PSG, Kylian Mbappe completes the all-time top three. The Frenchman earned a lucrative new contract with the French club last summer and followed it up by leading his country to the World Cup final, where he scored the most goals (8).
Mbappe's compensation is expected to be a club-high 19.56% of the team's total payroll for the 2022/23 season, at Ł73 million per year. In June of last year, he also became the first player ambassador for Sorare, a cryptocurrency-based fantasy game, and maintained his influence throughout an image-rights dispute with the French National Team.
Basketball legend James, who has enjoyed another good year on the court, drops out of the top three. James, 38, is the highest-ranking non-football player on this list. Along with his rich contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, at $44.5 million (Ł35 million) each year, he has also secured lucrative marketing deals through his work with sports nutrition business Ladder and the SpringHill business, which develops and creates TV programming.
Forbes' list of the top ten highest-earning athletes from May 1, 2022, to May 1, 2023, including only active athletes:
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