Usually, it is footballers who get paid a massive amount annually and end up as the highest-earning athletes in the world. However, things seem to have changed at the end of this year with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe all falling behind golfer Jon Rahm in terms of highest-earning athlete in 2023.

Just like how Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is pumping money into football, they are seemingly now interested in venturing into other sports and their investment in golf indicates so.

Spanish golfer Jon Rahm has now been lured into a Saudi-backed LIV tour which now will see him surpassing Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Inter Miami star Lionel Messi to become the world's best-paid athlete.

Rahm is the world's third-ranked golfer and the reigning Masters champion. He was expected to feature in the prestigious PGA tour. However, things changed drastically in recent weeks and he is now set to feature in the Saudi-backed golf league.



Jon Rahm is expected to sign a deal worth $600m (£477m) to leave the PGA tour out of which he will be handed around $300m upfront. If these figures turn out to be true, Rahm will be the highest-earning athlete queue this year.

Where do Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe stand on this list?

Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the highest-earning footballer in the world and could be the second most costliest athlete in 2023. Ronaldo earns around $137m per season in Saudi Arabia.

Messi is third in this list with an earning of $137m per season at Inter Miami. PSG star Kylian Mbappe on the other hand earns around $120m annually.