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.

Ronaldo has retained this spot and beat out athletes from all over the world, including Stephen Curry, the highest-paid NBA athlete, who made $156 million. Another interesting fac

Al Nassr striker, Cristiano Ronaldo, is number one on Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes for a third consecutive year. The 40-year-old banked around £206.6million in 2024, which is £11.2m more than in 2023.