By numbers. Cristiano is the highest paid athlete in the world. What are the positions of Messi and Mbappe?

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo continued to be the world’s highest-paid sportsman for the fourth consecutive year after he topped Forbes magazine’s 2026 list with total earnings of £223m over the past 12 months, confirming his continued commercial and sporting dominance despite turning 41.

Ronaldo now tops the Forbes rankings for the sixth time in 11 years and retains the lead in 2023 after overtaking his historic rival Lionel Messi.

The figures showed the Saudi leader Al-Nasr reached the equivalent of $300 million before taxes and agents’ commissions, equaling the all-time record set by boxer Floyd Mayweather in 2015.

The bulk of Ronaldo’s earnings came from his massive contract with Al-Nasr, which earned him £175 million, while he earned an additional £48 million through advertising, sponsorship and his various commercial projects. Its profits have also increased by £19m compared to 2025.

Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez is in second place with a total of £126m, just £97m behind Ronaldo, after most of his earnings depended on his fights in the ring, notably his win over William School and then his loss to Terence Crawford.

Lionel Messi is in third place with £104 million, making him only the second footballer in the top ten along with Ronaldo, while American basketball star LeBron James is fourth with £103 million.

Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani came fifth with £95m, followed by basketball star Steph Curry at £93m.

As for golfer Jon Ramh, he is seventh with earnings of £80million, while France’s Karim Benzema is eighth with £77million, tied with basketball star Kevin Durant who is ninth.

British Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton finished the top ten, having earned 74 million pounds.

According to the Forbes ranking, the average age of the top ten athletes is 37, the highest in the list’s history, with three athletes aged 41: Ronaldo, LeBron James and Lewis Hamilton.

The list also saw the appearance of big names outside the top ten, such as Kylian Mbappe who came in 12th with £71m, Erling Haaland in 19th with £60m and Carlos Alcaraz in 32nd with £46m and £46m 1st place in sterling.