Cristiano Ronaldo has once again cemented his status as the financial king of sport, topping the list of the 20 highest-paid athletes in 2025 with an estimated $275 million in total earnings. The football legend’s massive salary at Al-Nassr, combined with his unrivaled endorsement deals, makes him the undisputed number one.
But who else made the cut? From NBA superstars and football icons to boxers and golfers, the diversity in this year’s rankings is as exciting as ever.
Rank Athlete Sport Earnings
1 Cristiano Ronaldo Football $275 million
2 Stephen Curry Basketball $156 million
3 Tyson Fury Boxing $146 million
4 Dak Prescott American Football $137 million
5 Lionel Messi Football $135 million
6 LeBron James Basketball $133.8 million
7 Juan Soto Baseball $114 million
8 Karim Benzema Football $104 million
9 Shohei Ohtani Baseball $102.5 million
10 Kevin Durant Basketball $101.4 million
11 Oleksandr Usyk Boxing $101 million
12 Lamar Jackson American Football $100.5 million
13 Joe Burrow American Football $100 million
14 Scottie Scheffler Golf $92.5 million
15 Canelo Álvarez Boxing $90.1 million
16 Kylian Mbappé Football $90 million
17 Rory McIlroy Golf $87.9 million
18 Patrick Mahomes American Football $84.4 million
19 Anthony Joshua Boxing $83 million
20 Max Verstappen Auto Racing (F1) $81 million
A Record-Breaking Year
This marks the first time all top 10 athletes each earned more than $100 million in a single year. Collectively, the top 20 athletes brought in over $2 billion — a staggering reflection of modern sports’ global reach and commercial power.
Expect these numbers to keep rising as media rights, Saudi investments, and digital sponsorships continue to pour into elite sports.