May 16, 2024, 4:25 PM
May 16, 2024, 4:25 PM
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo remained at the top of the annual list of the highest paid athletes of the world from Forbes magazine, in which the Spanish golfer Jon Rahm jumped to second place and Lionel Messi was third.
The ranking, published on Thursday, is headed by the Portuguese Ronaldo for the fourth time in his career.
The 39-year-old striker has an estimated income of $260 million. a record amount for a footballer, Forbes noted.
A total of 200 million dollars come from his monumental contract with the Saudi team Al-Nassr and the rest of his commercial agreements off the field.
The great takeoff on the list is led by golfer Jon Rahm thanks to his famous signing in December by LIV Golf, the Saudi circuit that has snatched great stars from the PGA with multimillion-dollar prizes and guaranteed contracts.
The Spaniard, winner of the Augusta Masters in 2023, has estimated earnings of $218 million, of which 198 million come from their sporting activity.
His controversial landing at LIV Golf thus elevates Rahm to second place on the podium from 28th place last year.
The Argentine Lionel Messi, on his side, fell from second to third place with revenues of $135 million. A total of 65 million come from his earnings as a player for Inter Miami of the MLS and another 70 million from other commercial sources such as his sponsorships with Adidas or Apple.
NBA stars LeBron James (Lakers) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) occupy fourth and fifth place on the list cwith revenues of 128.2 and 111 million dollars respectively.
The top-10 is completed by footballers Kylian Mbappé (110 million), Neymar (108) and Karim Benzema (106), the basketball player Stephen Curry (102) and the American football figure Lamar Jackson (100.5).
For the first time in history, the ten highest-paid athletes in the world have incomes greater than 100 million dollars each, Forbes noted.
