Ronaldo was the highest-paid player in 2023.

Al Nassr striker Cristiano Ronaldo earned $275 million in 2023, more than double that of Lionel Messi.

While competing in Europe, Ronaldo was always one of the highest-paid athletes in the world . With his move to Al Nassr in early 2023, he earns approximately $200 million per year, including salary, bonuses, and sponsorship deals, thus surpassing other athletes in terms of income.

Cristiano Ronaldo dribbles the ball during the Riyadh Season Cup 2024 final against Al Hilal at the Kingdom Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 8, 2024. Photo: AP

According to Sportico , the Portuguese striker pocketed $275 million in 2023. In addition to his salary at Al Nassr, Ronaldo earned $60 million from advertising deals with brands such as Nike, Herbalife, Armani, Tag Heuer, DAZN, and PokerStars. He also achieved success with his personal brand, CR7.

Messi ranks third with $130 million, of which $65 million comes from playing salary. The remaining income of the Argentine striker comes from advertising contracts. The British newspaper Daily Mail commented: "Ronaldo has competed with Messi for supremacy for most of his career. Despite winning fewer Ballon d'Or titles, Ronaldo may have amassed a larger fortune than Messi."

Ranked between Ronaldo and Messi is Spanish golfer Jon Rahm with $181 million. At the end of 2023, Rahm confirmed he would compete in the LIV Golf League – a golf tournament system owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) – despite being a top-tier star on the PGA Tour. The Spanish player is reportedly being offered between 300 million and 500 million euros (nearly $550 million) for a four-year contract.

Besides Ronaldo and Messi, there are two other football players in the top 10 highest-earning athletes of 2023. Kylian Mbappe ranked fifth with $125 million, while Neymar came in sixth with $122 million. Just above them in fourth place is basketball star LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers with $126 million.

The remaining four positions in the top 10 belong to three basketball stars: Stephen Curry ($99 million), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($88 million), Kevin Durant ($87 million), and American football star Patrick Mahomes with $84 million.

The highest-earning F1 star in 2023 was Max Verstappen, ranking 15th with $75 million, while Lewis Hamilton pocketed $62 million.

The highest-paid boxer is Canelo Alvarez with $66 million, followed by two British boxers, Anthony Joshua ($55 million) and Tyson Fury ($40 million). The highest-paid tennis player is Novak Djokovic, at number 46 with $45 million.

Hong Duy

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