Whether Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer’s GOAT is up for debate, but he turned in an all-time earnings year with $275 million, leading 10 superstars who collectively hauled in $1.4 billion
For the third year in a row, and the fifth time overall, Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid athlete. But at age 40, the Portuguese soccer superstar is reaching new highs. Over the past 12 months, counting both his playing salary at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr and his off-field business endeavors, Ronaldo collected an estimated $275 million before taxes and agent fees—the third-best year by an active athlete ever measured by Forbes
On that all-time list, Ronaldo is surpassed only by boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned $300 million in 2015 and $285 million in 2018. And when it comes to the 2025 leaderboard, Ronaldo has a $119 million advantage over No. 2, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry
The gap is especially impressive considering that Curry’s $156 million total is also a record for his sport, beating the NBA mark of $128.2 million set last year by LeBron James. And there are plenty of other eye-popping paydays among this year’s 10 highest-paid athletes, starting with James, who notched a personal-best $133.8 million to land at No. 6. Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (No. 4, $137 million) and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (No. 7, $114 million) broke records for the NFL and MLB.
Combined, the 10 highest-paid athletes brought in $1.4 billion, up slightly from last year’s $1.38 billion and the largest total since Forbes began ranking athlete earnings in 1990. This year is also only the second time, after 2024, that every member of the top 10 made at least $100 million. In fact, heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk ($101 million) and golfer Jon Rahm ($100 million) reached the milestone, too, without managing to crack this list.
Two athletes—Curry and Los Angeles Dodgers two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani (No. 9, $102.5 million)—hit nine figures over the past 12 months with their off-field earnings alone, racking up an estimated $100 million each from endorsements, appearances, memorabilia and licensing fees. Only three other athletes have ever matched that feat while still active in their sports, according to Forbes estimates: MMA fighter Conor McGregor ($158 million in 2021), golfer Tiger Woods ($105 million in 2009) and tennis player Roger Federer ($100 million in 2020).
Neither Curry nor Ohtani has any known business connection to Saudi Arabia, which makes them something of an outlier for athletes in their income bracket. Three years after the kingdom shook up the sports landscape with the creation of LIV Golf, four members of the 2025 top 10 have significant ties to Saudi Arabia. Tyson Fury (No. 3, $146 million) fought Usyk twice in Riyadh while Lionel Messi (No. 5, $135 million) has a massive sponsorship deal to promote the country as a tourist destination, making up a significant chunk of his estimated $75 million in off-field earnings. And Karim Benzema (No. 8, $104 million) is based full time in Saudi Arabia, as a striker for soccer club Al-Ittihad.
Then, of course, there is Ronaldo, who has played in the Saudi Pro League for two and a half seasons—and earns an estimated $225 million on the field annually for doing so.
His paychecks demonstrate just how much this ranking has been supercharged. When he first grabbed the top spot, in 2016, his total was $88 million, and he boosted the number to $93 million a year later. Now, neither figure would place any higher than 14th among the world’s highest-paid athletes—and the sum of the two would still be $94 million short of Ronaldo’s big score this year.
His ascent may not be done yet, either. While Ronaldo’s contract with Al-Nassr is believed to expire this summer, rumors suggest that he may sign an extension with the club—or perhaps seek a lucrative deal elsewhere.
With a goal for the Portuguese national team in a UEFA Nations League match in September, Ronaldo became the first soccer player to score 900 times in official matches. He has been even busier away from the pitch, however. Over the past year, the Al-Nassr striker has added investments in wearable tech company Whoop, porcelain manufacturer Vista Alegre and supplement brand Bioniq. Then, in April, Ronaldo revealed he was creating a film studio as a joint venture with Matthew Vaughn, the writer and director of the Kingsman movies. Ronaldo has also extended into media in other ways, launching a YouTube channel in August that already has 75 million subscribers—on top of his 939 million followers across Instagram, Facebook and X. In addition to posting videos chronicling his experience at Paris Fashion Week and collaborations with top creator MrBeast, he turned his channel into a broadcaster in February, streaming a padel tournament in Riyadh. More than 600,000 viewers reportedly tuned in.
In 2023, Curry signed a long-term deal to extend his sneaker deal as the face of Under Armour’s Curry Brand well beyond his playing days, and it came with a major step-up in his pay—without even taking into account the $75 million in stock compensation he is set to receive, vesting in 2029 and 2034. The Golden State Warriors guard, who in March became the first NBA player to reach 4,000 career 3-pointers, is putting up plenty of other shots off the court as well. In the last year, he has invested in Nirvana water and the upstart women’s basketball league Unrivaled, teamed up with former first lady Michelle Obama to launch a sports drink brand called Plezi Hydration and accepted a role as assistant general manager for the basketball programs at his alma mater, Davidson College. And in a partnership with Peacock through his film and TV company Unanimous Media, Curry produced the documentary Sentenced and produced and starred in comedy series Mr. Throwback (although it was canceled after one season). On the court, Curry signed a one-year, $62.6 million extension in August that ties him to the Warriors through the 2026-27 season and has him poised to lead the NBA with his salary for the life of the deal.