Forbes has revealed its listing of the highest 10 highest-paid athletes on this planet for 2025, with large names from soccer, basketball, boxing and extra making the minimize.
The rankings embody athletes who earn not simply from taking part in their sport, but in addition from endorsements, sponsorships, and media deals.
NBA star Stephen Curry has taken second place, incomes an estimated $156 million (round £117 million). Curry, who performs for the Golden State Warriors, just lately made historical past by turning into the primary participant in NBA historical past to attain 4,000 profession three-pointers.
In third place is British boxer Tyson Fury, who introduced in $146 million (about £109 million). Regardless of shedding his heavyweight titles to Oleksandr Usyk in December, Fury’s earnings stayed robust because of his hit Netflix actuality present and a tourism take care of Malta.
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American soccer star Dak Prescott adopted intently behind with $137 million (£103 million), whereas Lionel Messi dropped to fifth place with $135 million (£101 million), falling additional behind his long-time rival.
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Additional down the listing are basketball legends LeBron James and Kevin Durant, in addition to baseball stars Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani. Footballer Karim Benzema additionally made the highest 10, incomes $104 million (£78 million) after his transfer to Saudi Arabia.
However as soon as once more, it was Cristiano Ronaldo who claimed the number one spot. The Portuguese ahead topped the Forbes listing for the third 12 months in a row, with complete earnings of $275 million (about £206 million).
This is likely one of the highest annual earnings ever recorded for an athlete, solely behind Floyd Mayweather’s figures in 2015 and 2018.
Now taking part in for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo has not solely earned an enormous wage but in addition boosted his earnings via sponsorships and model offers. With almost one billion social media followers, he continues to be a worldwide advertising and marketing powerhouse.
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Prime 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2025 (approximate earnings in £):
10. Kevin Durant – £76.2m
9. Shohei Ohtani – £77m
8. Karim Benzema – £78.2m
7. Juan Soto – £85.7m
6. LeBron James – £105.5m
5. Lionel Messi – £101.4m
4. Dak Prescott – £103m
3. Tyson Fury – £109.7m
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2. Stephen Curry – £117.2m
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – £206.6m
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