Cristiano Ronaldo eclipses Lionel Messi to be Highest Paid Athlete: Top Ten Biggest Earning Athletes

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Cristiano Ronaldo has pipped everyone to become the highest earner among sportspersons in the latest Forbes list.

The Portugal stalwart, who currently plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, has a mammoth wage, which eclipses every other sportsperson in the world, including his football rival Lionel Messi.

Cristiano Ronaldo has once again clinched the top spot on the Forbes list of the world's highest-paid athletes, marking the fourth occasion in his illustrious career that he has achieved this feat.

Ronaldo is followed by Jon Rahm, who has ascended to second place. This year, Ronaldo's earnings skyrocketed to £205 million in the last financial year, a significant leap from his previous £108.7m, largely thanks to his move to Al Nassr. Ronaldo's last year earning in Indian currency is a whopping Rs 2163 crore in Indian currency.

Lionel Messi, Ronaldo's perennial rival, has been nudged down to third place, while Rahm's surge to the second spot is attributed to his participation in the Saudi-funded LIV Golf tour, netting him earnings of £172m. The list also features new entrants from football - Neymar and Karim Benzema, both of whom have recently joined the Saudi Pro League, making their way into the top 10.

Lionel Messi, the Argentine who became the World Champion in 2022, earned around Rs 1129 crore last year.

Basketball and American football stars continue to dominate the list, with Giannis Antetokounmpo ranking fifth, closely followed by LeBron James in fourth and Stephen Curry in ninth. Lamar Jackson, the renowned American football quarterback, rounds off the list at the 10th position.

This year, the collective earnings of the top 10 highest-paid athletes reached a historic high of £1.06 billion before deductions for taxes and agents' fees, as reported by Forbes.

Top 10 Highest Earning Athletes

1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Football: £205m

2. Jon Rahm, Golf: £172m

3. Lionel Messi, Football: £107m

4. LeBron James, Basketball: £101m

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Basketball: £88m

6. Kylian Mbappe, Football: £87m

7. Neymar, Football: £85m

8. Karim Benzema, Football: £84m

9. Stephen Curry, Basketball: £80m

10. Lamar Jackson, American Football: £79m