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Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi among five soccer players in top 10 on list of 100 highest-paid athletes in the world

Saudi Pro League

Al-Wehda

Al Nassr FC

CONCACAF Champions Cup

Inter Miami CF

Sporting Kansas City

The <a href="https://www.sportico.com/feature/highest-paid-athletes-in-the-world-1234765608/" target="_blank">Sportico</a> highest-paid athletes in spots list featured a strong soccer contingent, with 12 total and five of the top 10 participating in the sport. Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo leads the way, pulling in $260 million annually. Lionel Messi, of Inter Miami, comes in at No.4, with $135 million of total earnings. Neymar (No.6), Karim Benzema (No.8) and Kylian Mbappe (No.9) round out the top 10. There are no women athletes or American soccer players on the list.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The top 100 athletes earned just over $6 billion last year, a rise of 14 percent from the previous 12 months. A quarter of the earnings came from endorsements.<title>Top 10 Earners:</title><table><colgroup data-width="305"><col style="width:55.40983606557377%"><col style="width:44.59016393442623%"></colgroup><thead><tr><th>Name</th><th>Earnings (in $M)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Cristiano Ronaldo</td><td>260.0</td></tr><tr><td>Stephen Curry</td><td>153.8</td></tr><tr><td>Tyson Fury</td><td>147.0</td></tr><tr><td>Lionel Messi</td><td>135.0</td></tr><tr><td>LeBron James</td><td>133.2</td></tr><tr><td>Neymar</td><td>133.0</td></tr><tr><td>Oleksandr Usyk</td><td>122.0</td></tr><tr><td>Karim Benzema</td><td>116.0</td></tr><tr><td>Kylian Mbappé</td><td>110.0</td></tr><tr><td>Jon Rahm</td><td>105.8</td></tr></tbody></table>The list includes a strong presence from the emerging Saudi Pro League. Of the 12 soccer players on the list, five either played or currently play in the Middle East's top division. Al-Nassr and Real Madrid are the two clubs that appear the most often, with two players apiece in the ranking.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Ronaldo has consistently been among the top earners in the world. He has made over $100m for eight straight years, and more than $200m for two years in a row. Messi pulled in the most from his endorsements, with $75m going into his bank account from various deals.

DID YOU KNOW?

Messi's Inter play in their first competitive fixture of 2025 when they travel to Sporting KC on Feb. 18. Ronaldo's Al-Nassr plays in the AFC Champions League Monday.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR RONALDO, MESSI

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi among five soccer players in top 10 on list of 100 highest-paid athletes in the world | Goal.com

There is a strong soccer presence in Sportico&apos;s ranking of the world&apos;s top paid athletes, with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the top five

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