Cristiano Ronaldo continues to dominate not only on the football field, but also in the financial rankings. At 41 years old, the Portuguese superstar occupies the first place among the highest-paid athletes in the world for the fourth consecutive year according to the ranking of the authoritative magazine Forbes.
The Al Nassr star convincingly overtakes his big rival Lionel Messi, with his income being more than twice that of the Argentine. The two footballers continue to dictate the financial trends in world sports and occupy the top two positions for the 12th time in the last 13 years.
Ronaldo earns over 267 million euros
According to published data, the Portuguese's total income reaches an impressive 267.3 million euros. The bulk of the amount comes from his contract with Al Nassr, which provides him with approximately 222 million euros. Another 44 million euros come from sponsorships, advertising campaigns and commercial partnerships.
Ronaldo has already achieved a historic financial achievement. He is the first active athlete whose total gross earnings throughout his career have exceeded the $2 billion mark, or around €1.782 billion according to the data.
This is further evidence of his exceptional market value, which remains enormous even at an advanced stage of his football career.
Messi is second, Mbappe completes the top three
Lionel Messi takes second place with an estimated income of €129 million. Of this, €62.4 million is related to his contract with Inter Miami, and the remaining €66.8 million comes from advertising commitments and other commercial activities.
The third position is for Kylian Mbappe, whose income is listed at around $100 million. The French striker already topped a similar ranking in 2022, when he received an extremely large bonus when renewing his contract with Paris Saint-Germain. Two years later, he left the Parisian club for Real Madrid.
Soccer superstars dictate the financial race
The world's ten highest-paid athletes are expected to generate a combined €839.4 million in 2026. Ronaldo and Messi account for almost half of that impressive sum.
The duo's continued presence at the top shows that their influence goes far beyond sporting results. Decades after their rivalry began, they remain among the most recognizable faces in world sport, and continue to attract huge revenues from both their club contracts and global advertising partnerships.