Cristiano Ronaldo was the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2024, with the Portuguese topping the likes of Steph Curry, Tyson Fury and Lionel Messi.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
- Portuguese icon well clear in first place
- Eight sports represented in top 100
- Five football players inside the top 10
| Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 |
-
WHAT HAPPENED?
Evergreen frontman Ronaldo, who is still going strong with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr at 40 years of age, earned $260 million (£208m) across the last calendar year – with $215m (£172m) of that coming from his record-breaking contract in the Middle East.
Advertisement
- Getty
THE GOSSIP
NBA superstar Curry, of the Golden State Warriors, fills second spot on the top-earners list on $153.8m (£123m). Former world heavyweight boxing champion Fury is third ($147m/£118m), while Ronaldo’s eternal rival Messi – who is now in MLS with Inter Miami – sitting fourth ($135m/£108m) and LA Lakers icon LeBron James ($133.2m/£107m) completing the top five.
-
DID YOU KNOW?
Overall, the top 100 highest-paid athletes on the planet pulled in an estimated $6.2 billion (£5bn) between them. Prominent figures from eight different sports – football, basketball, boxing, golf, American football, Formula 1, baseball and tennis – make the list, with 27 countries represented.
-
TELL ME MORE
There are no female athletes inside the top 100, with tennis superstar Coco Gauff – who won her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2024 – the top earner in her field at $30.4m (£24m). Her on and off-court appeal is expected to help her climb the charts in years to come.
Getty Images
