Ronaldo Ranks First Among Highest-Paid Athletes, Messi Comes in Third

Cristiano Ronaldo has taken the lead as the world’s richest athlete, surpassing rival Lionel Messi. The Portuguese player earned nearly double what Messi did, mainly due to his high-paying contract with Saudi club Al-Nassr, as reported by The Sun.

Traditionally, footballers and basketball players are at the top of the highest-paid athletes list. However, this year has seen athletes from other sports gain recognition as well. Golfer Jon Rahm made an impressive jump to second place thanks to his partnership with LIV Golf, while NFL quarterback Lamar Jackson completed the top ten.

Top 10 highest-paid athletes of 2024 (amounts in millions of pounds sterling):

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (football, Al-Nassr) — 192.40
2. Jon Rahm (golf, LIV Golf) — 161.32
3. Lionel Messi (football, Inter Miami) — 99.90
4. LeBron James (basketball, Los Angeles Lakers) — 94.87
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo (basketball, Milwaukee Bucks) — 82.14
6. Kylian Mbappé (football, Real Madrid) — 81.40
7. Neymar (football, Santos / Al-Hilal) — 79.92
8. Karim Benzema (football, Al-Ittihad) — 78.44
9. Steph Curry (basketball, Golden State Warriors) — 75.38
10. Lamar Jackson (American football, Baltimore Ravens) — 74.37