Sportico has just released the list of the top 100 highest-earning athletes in 2024. Unsurprisingly, superstar Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the top spot on this prestigious ranking.
Cristiano Ronaldo dominates sports earnings with no close competitors (Photo: Getty).
The Portuguese star earned an impressive €251.7 million last year. Of that amount, €208 million came from his salary at Al Nassr, while €43.5 million was generated through sponsorship deals and endorsements.
Ronaldo is unmatched when it comes to earnings. He far surpasses the second-highest earner, basketball legend Stephen Curry, who made €147.8 million. Former boxer Tyson Fury ranks third with €141.3 million.
Lionel Messi places fourth on the list with a total income of €129.7 million. The Argentine star earned €57.6 million in wages from Inter Miami and an additional €72.1 million from sponsorships.
Within the football world, Messi trails only Ronaldo in terms of earnings. The Argentine outearns Neymar (€127.8 million), Karim Benzema (€111.5 million), and Kylian Mbappé (€105 million). These footballers also feature among the top 10 highest-paid athletes of the year.
The highest-paid athletes in the sports world (Photo: Marca).
Other notable names in the top 10 include LeBron James (basketball, €128 million), Oleksandr Usyk (boxing, €117 million), and Jon Rahm (golf, €101.7 million).
Football leads the way with five representatives in the top 10 earners. Basketball and boxing follow with two athletes each, while golf contributes one name.
Other high-earning footballers include Erling Haaland (ranked 24th, €67.3 million), Vinícius Júnior and Mohamed Salah (tied for 38th, €52.8 million each), Harry Kane (ranked 81st, €40 million), and Kevin De Bruyne (ranked 89th, €37.9 million).
Marca highlights that Ronaldo is the only athlete to earn over €100 million annually from salaries and endorsements for the past eight years. This achievement is partly due to the immense influence of the legendary number 7.
According to the latest research by the Portuguese Institute of Management and Marketing (IPAM), Ronaldo’s CR7 brand value reached a record-breaking $882.5 million in 2025, increasing by 325% over the past five years.
In 2024 alone, Ronaldo was mentioned in 22 million articles, searched for 190 million times on Google, and featured in 4,000 books and around 60,000 academic papers. The 1985-born player boasts enormous social media influence, with over 1 billion followers across various platforms.
