Ronaldo tops Forbes’ richest athletes list ahead of Curry, Fury; Messi at No. 5

Cristiano Ronaldo topped Forbes’ 2025 list of the world’s highest paid athletes, ahead of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury. 

The list takes into account each athlete’s respective salaries and paydays, as well as sponsorship deals and appearance fees. 

Each of the list’s top 10 athletes are estimated to have earned at least $100 million this past year, with Ronaldo coming in with around $275 million. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star has topped the Forbes list for three straight years.

Curry comes in second on the list with $156 million, ahead of two other NBA stars – LeBron James (at No. 6) with an estimated $133.8 million and Kevin Durant (at No. 10) with $101.4 million. 

Fury is the only athlete who doesn’t play a team sport to appear on this year’s list. At No. 3, the boxer reportedly racked up $146 million in earnings. Behind him at No. 4 is Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott ($137 million) – the only NFL player to crack the top-10 list. 

Lionel Messi rounds out the top five, with the World Cup winner coming in with $135 million. 

Two MLB players – New York Mets slugger Juan Soto (No. 8, $114 million) and Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Otani (No. 9, $101.4 million) – also make the list.

Forbes’ 10 highest-paid athletes for 2025

1. Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer: $275m
2. Stephen Curry, NBA: $156m
3. Tyson Fury, boxing: $146m 
4. Dak Prescott, NFL: $137m
5. Lionel Messi, soccer: $135m 
6. LeBron James, NBA: $133.8m 
7. Juan Soto, MLB: $114m 
8. Karim Benzema, soccer: $104m 
9. Shohei Ohtani, MLB: $102.5m
10. Kevin Durant, NBA: $101.4m 

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