04 May 2023 , 11:23
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Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as the highest-paid athlete in Forbes' 2023 rich list.
Ronaldo, 38, has leapfrogged Lionel Messi and LeBron James into top spot following his big-money move to Al-Nassr at the start of the January transfer window. The former Manchester United star is pocketing around £175m-per-year in the Middle-East and is now the highest-paid athlete on the planet.
The Portuguese superstar has scored 12 goals and provided two assists in 12 Saudi Pro League matches since his switch to Saudi Arabia. However, reports have suggested that Ronaldo already wants to quit Al-Nassr, with Georgina Rodriguez 'desperate' for a return to Madrid.
According to El Nacional, Los Blancos are ready to offer Ronaldo an ambassadorial role - rather than sign him back as a player as they consider that option 'closed'. Ronaldo netted a staggering 451 goals in 438 appearances during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu.
As for Messi, he has dropped to no.2 in the world - at least financially - with his future at Paris Saint-Germain up in the air. Rumours suggest the Argentine could be set to return to Barcelona, while moves to Saudi Arabia and the United States are also on the table.
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Messi has a long list of lucrative endorsements, including Adidas, Budweiser and PepsiCo and Socios. The 35-year-old is still one of the most prized assets on the planet despite his advancing years. He has still scored 15 goals and grabbed 15 assists in 28 Ligue 1 games this season.
Lionel Messi is the second-highest paid athlete of 2023 (Getty Images)Kylian Mbappe completes the all-football top three after another stunning year with PSG. The Frenchman signed a mega-money new contract at the French club last summer and backed that up by helping his country to the World Cup final, where he scored the most goals at the tournament (8).
In fact, Mbappe's salary is reportedly a club-high 19.56% of the team's entire payroll for the 2022/23 season at £73million-per-annum. Last June, he also became the first player ambassador for Sorare, a cryptocurrency-based fantasy game, and continued his influence during an image-right feud with the French National Team.
Dropping out of the top-three is Basketball legend James, who has had another successful year on court. James, 38, is the highest non-football athlete on this list. Alongside his staggering LA Lakers contract - worth $44.5m (£35m) a year - he has also banked lucrative commercial deals through his work with sports nutrition company Ladder and the SpringHill Company, which develops and creates TV content.
LeBron James (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)In fifth place is boxer Canelo Alvarez. The Mexican collects millions each time he enters the ring and has netted big following fights against Dmitry Bivol and Gennadiy Golovkin over the past year. Away from the ring, Alvarez is behind sports drink maker Yaoca and he also has his own clothing line.
Golf stars Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson lie in sixth and seventh on the list following their involvement in the controversial LIV Golf series. Johnson was the first to jump ship to the breakaway competition, with Mickelson getting involved not long after.
Steph Curry, Roger Federer and Kevin Durant make up the star-studded list. Curry and Durant have been successful in endorsements and across the basketball scene, while Federer is still the highest-paid tennis player despite announcing his retirement in September.
There is no place for Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton, however, despite finishing inside the top 10 in 2021.
Forbes' list of the top 10 highest-earning athletes for the period from May 1, 2022 to May 1, 2023, including active athletes only:
- Cristiano Ronaldo (football) - $136m
- Lionel Messi (football) - $130m
- Kylian Mbappe (football) - $120m
- LeBron James (basketball) - $119.5m
- Canelo Alvarez (boxing) - $110m
- Dustin Johnson (golf) - $106m
- Phil Mickelson (golf) - $106m
- Steph Curry (basketball) $100.4m
- Roger Federer (tennis) - $95.1m
- Kevin Durant (basketball) - $89.1m