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By Hoang An  February 16, 2025 | 07:29 pm PT
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates a goal for Al Nassr on Nov. 29, 2024. Photo by Al Nassr
At 40 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the world's highest-paid athlete, raking in US$260 million in 2024.
The Portuguese superstar earned $215 million in salary and bonuses from Al Nassr, along with $45 million from endorsements. His total income far surpasses that of basketball's Stephen Curry, who came in second at $154 million.
Boxer Tyson Fury followed in third place, generating $140 million in prize money and $7 million from endorsements. Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi ranked fourth with $135 million in total earnings, with $75 million coming from endorsements, $30 million more than Ronaldo's.
Rounding out the Top 10 were LeBron James (basketball, $133 million), Neymar (football, $133 million), Oleksandr Usyk (boxing, $122 million), Karim Benzema (football, $116 million), Kylian Mbappe (football, $110 million) and Jon Rahm (golf, $106 million).
The list was compiled by the American sports magazine Sportico, giving the top 100 athletes who earn the most money of the year, based on two sources of income: salary and bonuses and endorsement.
The magazine first released the list in 2021, when MMA fighter Conor McGregor topped the list with $208 million. A year later, LeBron James topped the list with $127 million. Messi and Ronaldo were second and third in those two years, respectively. However, since moving to Saudi Arabia in early 2023, Ronaldo has risen to the top of the list thanks to his $200 million annual salary. He even earned $275 million in 2023.
Football dominated the top 10 with five athletes, while basketball led the overall top 100 with 36 players. American football had 22 representatives, followed by baseball with 11 and golf with nine. Boxing, motorsport and tennis rounded out the list with fewer entries.
The youngest athlete in the top 100 is tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, only 21 years old but earned $42 million, ranking 56th. The oldest athlete is golfer Tiger Woods, at 49, still brought in $77 million, ranking 14th. The total income of the top 100 was $6.2 billion, up 14% from last year.
For the second consecutive year, female athletes are absent from the list. The highest-earning female athlete in 2024 is tennis player Coco Gauff, with $30.4 million, less than the last athlete in the top 100, quarterback Derek Carr, who made $32.5 million.
