Cristiano Ronaldo topped Forbes’ list of the world’s 50 highest-paid athletes for 2025, leading for the fourth straight year with an estimated $300 million. The magazine also says the group’s winning streak ends this year, with combined earnings of $4.1 billio
Cristiano Ronaldo walked into a White House dinner honoring the Saudi crown prince, and President Trump shared that his son enjoyed meeting the soccer star. By the end of the evening’s headlines, Ronaldo was back at the center of another kind of attention: money.
On Friday, May 22, Forbes published its list of the world’s 50 highest-paid athletes for 2025, and Ronaldo again claimed the No. 1 spot. The magazine estimates Ronaldo’s income at $300 million, and says it is the fourth straight year he has led the ranking.
Boxer Canelo Alvarez followed at No. 2 with $170 million, while Lionel Messi of soccer landed at No. 3 with $140 million. Forbes’ figures break earnings into two streams—on-field money and off-field money—showing how much the top earners increasingly profit beyond the sport itself.
Los Angeles proved especially lucrative in the middle of the top five. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers came in at No. 4 with $137.8 million, and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounded out the top five with $127.6 million.
The list also spread across major U.S. sports and global stars. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes placed at No. 15 with $84.7 million. Boxer Jake Paul was No. 23 with $70 million, and tennis player Jannik Sinner finished at No. 50 with $54.6 million.
Since 2018, Forbes reports, the combined earnings of the 50 highest-paid athletes have climbed to $4.2 million from $2.6 million. But the same report delivers a hard shift in tone: Forbes says the streak is over for this year.
Forbes reports. “That impressive winning streak comes to an end this year. however. with the top 50 having hauled in an estimated $4.1 billion over the past 12 months before taxes and agent fees – $3 billion on the field from their salaries. bonuses and prize money and $1.1 billion off the field. from endorsements. appearances. memorabilia and other business endeavors.”.
The sequence matters: Ronaldo’s dominance continues—yet Forbes frames the broader market as cooling slightly. with the group’s total estimated take falling from the $4.2 billion milestone cited over the longer sweep since 2018 to $4.1 billion over the past 12 months before taxes and agent fees. What looks like an unshakable top spot for individual athletes sits alongside a more fragile picture for the pack as a whole.
Forbes highest-paid athletes 2025 Cristiano Ronaldo Canelo Alvarez Lionel Messi LeBron James Shohei Ohtani Patrick Mahomes Jake Paul Jannik Sinner White House dinner