No soccer players made more money than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in 2025. Although the next generation of superstars, including Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembélé, have taken center stage in soccer this year,

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have come up against the best football has had to offer over the years, and the iconic pair named their toughest adversaries.

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