Cristiano Ronaldo Tops Forbes’ Highest-Paid Athletes List for 2025

Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the highest-paid athlete in the world for the third year in a row, according to Forbes. This is the fifth time in his career that he has topped the list.

Ronaldo earned $275 million this year, an increase of $15 million from last year. This is the second-highest yearly income ever for an athlete, after boxer Floyd Mayweather’s earnings in 2015 and 2018.

Since joining Saudi club Al Nassr in 2022, Ronaldo’s income from sponsorships and ads has grown significantly, boosted by his massive social media following of 939 million.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is second on the list, and British boxer Tyson Fury is third. Argentina’s Lionel Messi dropped to fifth place.

Top 10 Highest-Paid Athletes in 2025:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Football) – $275 million
2. Stephen Curry (Basketball) – $156 million
3. Tyson Fury (Boxing) – $146 million
4. Dak Prescott (American Football) – $137 million
5. Lionel Messi (Football) – $135 million
6. LeBron James (Basketball) – $133.8 million
7. Juan Soto (Baseball) – $114 million
8. Karim Benzema (Football) – $104 million
9. Shohei Ohtani (Baseball) – $102.5 million
10. Kevin Durant (Basketball) – $101.4 million