Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, leader of Al-Nasr Saudi Arabia, topped Forbes magazine's list of the highest-paid athletes in the world for the fourth time in his career, while Messi ranked third and Mohamed Salah ranked seventh as the most expensive player in football and 38th at the level of global sports.
Ronaldo became the highest-paid athlete in the world after moving to Al-Nassr, and Forbes estimated that the Portuguese (39 years old)’s total income was in the range of $260 million, which is the highest wage ever for a football player.
His playing income reached $200 million, while his off-field earnings amounted to $60 million thanks to sponsorship deals, with brands benefiting from his 629 million followers on Instagram.
Spanish golfer Jon Rahm advanced to second place after his dramatic move to the Live Golf Championship last December in a major deal that led to shock throughout the entire sport, after media reports estimated that the current fifth-ranked player in the world earned at least $300 million. .
Apart from that amount, Rahm earned $218 million and joined Ronaldo in being the only sports duo whose salary exceeds $200 million.
Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi came in third place, after he moved to Inter Miami in the American League in a lucrative deal that helped the Argentine World Cup winner raise $135 million.
Messi (36 years old)’s playing income amounted to $65 million, but his income outside the field amounted to $70 million thanks to deals with major sponsors such as Adidas and Apple.
The French player of Algerian origin, Karim Benzema, ranked fifth with an income of $100 million on the field and $6 million off the Green Rectangle track.
While Egyptian football star and English Liverpool club Mohamed Salah ranked seventh in the world of football, his income on the football field amounted to $35 million, while Forbes estimated his total income outside the field at $18 million.
LeBron James, the player of the Los Angeles Lakers team competing in the NBA, comes fourth with an income of $128.2 million, and although the 39-year-old player, who is the first player in the American League to score 40,000 points in his career, is approaching the end of his career, He is destined to get one last chance at the Olympics.
James' NBA teammate and Milwaukee Bucks player Giannis Antetokounmpo completed the top five ($111 million), while Kylian Mbappe, captain of the French national football team, fell to sixth place ($110 million).
Mbappe announced his departure from Paris Saint-Germain after seven years he spent at the French capital club, where he became its all-time top scorer. The 25-year-old is expected to join Spanish giant Real Madrid after the end of the current season.
Brazilian Neymar, the former Paris Saint-Germain player who moved to the Saudi League to join Al-Hilal, ranks seventh ($108 million), even though he missed most of the season due to a tear in the cruciate ligament in his knee.
French striker Karim Benzema, who also moved to play in Saudi Arabia, ranked eighth on the list ($106 million), followed by Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors player ($102 million).
Lamar Jackson was the only NFL player on the list, occupying 10th place ($100.5 million), thanks to the signing bonus he negotiated in his new contract with the Baltimore Ravens last year.
Below is a list of the fifty highest paid players in the world:
1
Cristiano Ronaldo
soccer
$260 million
2
Jon Rahm
Golf
$218 million
3
Lionel Messi
soccer
$135 million
4
LeBron James
basketball
$128.2 million
5
Giannis Antetokounmpo
basketball
$111 million
6
Kylian Mbappe
soccer
$110 million
7
Neymar
soccer
$108 million
8
Karim Benzema
soccer
$106 million
9
Stephen Curry
basketball
$102 million
10
Lamar Jackson
soccer
$100.5 million
11
Joe Burrow
soccer
100 million dollars
12
Kevin Durant
basketball
$93.3 million
13
Shuhei Ohtani
Baseball
$85.3 million
14
Canelo Alvarez
boxing
85 million dollars
15
Patrick Mahomes
soccer
$84.4 million
16
Anthony Joshua
boxing
83 million dollars
17
Max Verstappen
Car racing
81 million dollars
18
Aaron Rodgers
soccer
$80.8 million
19
Rory McIlroy
Golf
$80.1 million
20
Justin Herbert
soccer
$78.7 million
21
Lewis Hamilton
Car racing
69 million dollars
22
Bossa
soccer
68 million dollars
23
Tiger Woods
Golf
$67.2 million
24
Kirk Cousins
soccer
$62.5 million
25
Klay Thompson
basketball
$62.3 million
26
Damian Lillard
basketball
$61.9 million
27
Erling Haaland
soccer
61 million dollars
28
Max Scherzer
Baseball
$59.9 million
29
Scotty Scheffler
Golf
$59.2 million
30
Joel Embiid
basketball
$57.7 million
31
Jimmy Butler
basketball
$57.5 million
32
Nikola Jokic
basketball
$56.1 million
33
James Harden
basketball
$55.8 million
34
Luka Doncic
basketball
$55.1 million
35
Bradley Bell
basketball
$54.3 million
36
Chris Jones
soccer
$54.1 million
37
Kawhi Leonard
basketball
$53.7 million
38
Mohamed Salah
soccer
53 million dollars
39
Paul George
basketball
$52.7 million
40
Sadio Mane
soccer
52 million dollars
41
Brian Burns
soccer
$51.7 million
42
Tyson Fury
boxing
50 million dollars
43
Cameron Smith
Golf
48 million dollars
44
Trae Young
basketball
$47.3 million
45
Deshaun Watson
soccer
47 million dollars
46
Rashan Gary
soccer
$46.8 million
47
Anthony Davis
basketball
$46.2 million
48
Zion Williamson
basketball
$46.1 million
49
Jayson Tatum
basketball
$45.9 million
50
Devin Booker
basketball
$45.2 million