Cristiano Ronaldo, the renowned footballer from Portugal, has been named the highest-earning athlete of 2024, according to American magazine Forbes. This marks the second consecutive year that Ronaldo has topped the list of the 50 highest-earning athletes.
Forbes’ list reveals that Ronaldo earned a staggering $260 million over the past 12 months, surpassing all other athletes. His earnings included $200 million from his contract with the Saudi club Al-Nassr and $60 million from endorsements and other ventures off the field.
This impressive financial performance has secured Ronaldo’s position as the world’s highest-earning athlete for the second year in a row. The breakdown of his earnings shows $200 million coming from his football career and $60 million from various endorsements and business ventures.
For the first time, each of the top 10 highest-earning athletes globally earned more than $100 million in a single year, highlighting the growing financial clout of sports stars.
Following Ronaldo, golfer Jon Rahm claimed the second spot on the list with annual earnings of $218 million. Argentine footballer Lionel Messi secured the third position, earning $135 million over the year.
Basketball players LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo took the fourth and fifth spots, with earnings of $128 million and $111 million, respectively. French footballer Kylian Mbappe earned $110 million, placing him sixth on the list.
Brazilian footballer Neymar earned $108 million, ranking seventh, while French footballer Karim Benzema earned $106 million, placing eighth. Basketball player Stephen Curry earned $102 million, ranking ninth, and rugby player Lamar Jackson rounded out the top ten with earnings exceeding $100 million.
Interestingly, this year’s list of the 50 highest-earning athletes did not include any cricketers or tennis players, marking a surprising shift in the landscape of sports earnings.
