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Cristiano Ronaldo earned $260m in 2025 to top Sportico’s highest-paid athletes list, doubling Lionel Messi’s income, while Neymar dropped to 30th after returning to Santos.
Cristiano Ronaldo has once again been crowned the world’s highest-paid athlete, according to Sportico’s annual ranking, and this time he did it in emphatic fashion.
The Portuguese superstar earned a staggering $260 million (€240m) in 2025, which is double the amount made by his eternal rival Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo tops the list for the third year in a row, largely thanks to his huge contract with Al-Nassr, which is estimated at $200m per year, plus another $60m from sponsorships and business ventures.
CR7 has now earned at least $100m in nine consecutive years, and this is already the third time he has broken the $200m barrier in a single year.
His commercial empire continues to grow, with major deals involving Nike, Herbalife, Binance, Perplexity, Yili and Therabody. Across all platforms, Ronaldo has now surpassed an incredible one billion followers.
Messi earns half as much
Lionel Messi sits third on Sportico’s list, behind Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez.
The Argentine World Cup winner generated around $130m in 2025 — exactly half of Ronaldo’s total.
Messi, who has strong commercial ties with adidas and other global brands, recently signed a new contract with Inter Miami until 2028.
Both Ronaldo and Messi are still expected to appear at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, despite Ronaldo already being 40 years old. He is also in talks to extend his Al-Nassr contract until summer 2027.
Neymar falls out of the elite
Neymar, Brazil’s all-time top scorer, has suffered a major drop in the rankings.
After terminating his contract with Al-Hilal and returning to his boyhood club Santos, his earnings have fallen sharply.
As a result, Neymar has dropped to 30th place on the list, with his income almost $50m lower than last year.
Despite that, he is still expected to be part of Brazil’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, provided he convinces coach Carlo Ancelotti that his fitness problems are behind him.
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