Cristiano Ronaldo is the best athlete in the world this year again for the first time since 2017 due to his lucrative move to Saudi club Al-Nassr. According to the American business magazine Forbes, the annual salary of the 38-year-old Portuguese has doubled to about 68 million euros. As a result, the former Real Madrid player could add up to, including other income, just under €125m. His eternal rival, Lionel Messi, has to settle for about 118 million euros.
Messi is ahead of his colleague Kylian Mbappe in Paris Saint-Germain. The 24-year-old Frenchman, who ranks third with around €109m, is the youngest athlete in the top ten. Just like Ronaldo, a lot of oil money is also involved in increasing the salaries of PSG stars. The club is owned by Qatar Sports Investments Company.
There is also a lot of money from the Middle East in golf’s lucrative LIV series. Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, two players who made the much-discussed move, are now in the top ten list of Forbes with an income of around €100 million.
Roger Federer retired from tennis last year, but he still has a few worries about his bank balance. The Swiss are still ninth in the ranking. Basketball players LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez are also in the top ten. Forbes includes athlete sponsorship salaries and income.
