For the third-year running, Ronaldo is the highest paid athlete in the world. The Real Madrid legend earned $275 million, over $100 million more than second-place Stephen Curry made in 2025. Ronaldo's on-field earnings amounted to $225 million while his off-field earnings amounted to $50 million, per Forbes.

Cristiano Ronaldo tops Forbes’ 2025 highest-paid athletes list with $275M, ahead of Tyson Fury and Stephen Curry, while Lionel Messi drops to fifth place

Forbes have released their list of the world’s highest-paid athletes in 2025, and as ever, footballers feature heavily. From global icons to Saudi-backed megastars, eight players made the cut. Alongside them on this year’s list are names like Steph Curry of the NBA,