Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list of highest-earning athletes in the world for the year 2025.
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For the third consecutive year and the fifth in his career, Cristiano Ronaldo, the star of Al-Nassr Saudi Club, topped Forbes' annual list of the world's highest-earning athletes, with a total income of $275 million, thanks to his contract with Al-Nassr and sponsorship and advertising deals, which increased by $15 million off the field, supported by his large following on social media. Despite this huge income, Ronaldo (40 years old) did not win any championship with Al-Nassr this season, except for the Arab Clubs Cup, unlike his illustrious career with clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. American basketball star Stephen Curry, player for the Golden State Warriors, came in second with an income of $156 million, followed by British boxer Tyson Fury in third place with $146 million. American football player Dak Prescott, star of the Dallas Cowboys, ranked fourth with $137 million, after signing record bonuses and extending his contract. Lionel Messi, star of Inter Miami in the United States, ranked fifth with the same income as last year: $135 million, maintaining support from major brands like Adidas and Apple. In sixth place is basketball player LeBron James, star of the Los Angeles Lakers, with a fortune of $133.8 million, while baseball player Juan Soto, star of the New York Mets, ranked seventh with an income of $114 million, after signing a record-breaking 15-year contract worth $765 million, the largest in the history of the game. French striker Karim Benzema, player for Al-Ittihad Jeddah, came in eighth with an income of $104 million, after leading his team to win the Saudi League. In ninth place, baseball star Shohei Ohtani ranked with a fortune of $102.5 million, followed by American basketball player Kevin Durant, star of the Phoenix Suns, in tenth place with an income of $101.4 million.
