Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the top highest-paid athlete over the past 12 months, according to the World’s 10 highest-paid athletes 2023 list published by Forbes.
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe occupied the second and third positions, respectively.
Following his exit from Manchester United in 2022, Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabia side Al-Nassr for an annual playing salary of $46million while drawing an additional $90 million from endorsements, licensing income, and other business endeavours, making him the highest-earning athlete this year.
Ronaldo topped the list with $136 million, while Messi came in second with $130 million.
Messi’s Paris Sanit-Germain teammate Mbappe came third with $120 million.
Others that made the list are basketball star LeBron James ($119.5 million), boxing star Canelo Alvarez ($110million), golf duo Dustin Johnson ($107 million) and Phil Mickelson ($106million), NBA star Stephen Curry ($100.4million), tennis legend Roger Federer ($95.1million), and basketball star, Kevin Durant ($89.1 million).
