With £109 million ($136 million) in 2022, Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo has been ranked as Forbes’ highest-paid athlete,
surpassing Lionel Messi by one spot. The Portuguese forward was forced to leave Manchester United at the beginning of the year after making divisive remarks about the team. Ronaldo hasn’t really suffered despite a substantial decline in quality from his Champions League days. According to Forbes, the 38-year-old made £109 million in “prize money, salaries and bonuses” last year in addition to “sponsorship deals, appearance fees and memorabilia” earned off the field. This puts him slightly ahead of PSG star Lionel Messi, who earns £104 million ($130 million), while Kylian Mbappe completes a hat-trick of footballers in the top three with earnings of £96 million ($120 million).
Ronaldo returns to the top rank for the first time since 2017 thanks to the outrageous numbers recorded for him, which are the most in football history. Strangely, Messi might soon join the Al-Nassr skipper in Saudi Arabia. His contract with his current employers PSG will not be extended past this summer, and a recent trip to the Gulf state has stoked speculation about a potential reconciliation between the longtime foes, with Al-Hilal having already made a sizable offer.That might knock Cristiano Ronaldo back down to first place, but the most likely outcome for the Argentine is a return to Barcelona, even though that would require a significant pay cut.LeBron James, a legendary basketball player, and boxer Canelo Alvarez round out the top five, both behind Mbappe after the 24-year-old signed an absurdly lucrative new contract last summer.
