Cristiano Ronaldo became the highest-paid athlete after his mega-money transfer to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr, a move that made him earn nearly double his annual salary, which is reportedly the sum of $136 million, while Paris St Germain duo Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe round off the top three, according to Forbes.
It was reported that out of that $136 million, $90m came from off-field income, including brand partnerships with the likes of Binance and LiveScore.
Ronaldo’s contract has been estimated by the media to be worth more than 200 million Euros (S$294 million).
Below is the Forbes’ list of athletes that made it to the top 10 Highest-paid athletes in world sport 2023;
1. Cristiano Ronaldo - $136million ($46m in on-field earnings)
2. Lionel Messi - $130million ($65m in on-field earnings)
3. Kylian Mbappe - $120million ($100m in on-field earnings)
4. LeBron James - $119.5million ($44.5m in on-field earnings)
5. Canelo Alvarez - $110million ($100m in on-field earnings)
6. Dustin Johnson - $107million ($102m in on-field earnings)
7. Phil Mickelson - $106million ($104m in on-field earnings)
8. Stephen Curry - $100.4million ($48.4m in on-field earnings)
9. Roger Federer - $95.1million ($0.1m in on-field earnings)
10. Kevin Durant - $89.1million ($41.1m in on-field earnings)