Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi are part of the list of the 10 highest paid athletes of the year 2024.
Without much surprise, it is the Portuguese international who plays for Saudi Arabia who dominates the ranking.
According to the famous economic magazine Forbes, Cristiano Ronaldo comes first, like last year, and for the 4th time, in the ranking of the most highly paid athletes on the planet with 260 million dollars (239 million euros) .
The Portuguese striker received a salary of $200 million from his club and received $60 million thanks to his sponsorship contracts (Nike, Herbalife, Binance, Erakulis, etc.).
At 39, the five-time Ballon d'Or is far from Europe but he continues to pile up goals in Saudi Arabia and with the Portuguese national team which he intends to take to the 2026 World Cup.
CR7 is ahead of golfer Jon Rahm who takes 2nd place and makes a huge jump of 26 places. Paid $53 million last year, the Spaniard joined LIV Golf a year ago, the competing league of the PGA Tour financed by the public investment fund of Saudi Arabia, and has accumulated $218 million (198 salary and 20 in sponsorship).
The young 30-year-old golfer comes between C. Ronaldo and the man who was his great rival during their years of glory at the highest level: Lionel Messi. Left PSG for Inter Miami a year and a half ago, the Argentinian has income of $135 million (€124 million).
-The 37-year-old striker playing in Major League Soccer, the American football league, has essentially the same total as last year ($130 million).
On the 4th step of this hierarchy, as in 2023, we find the basketball player LeBron James with $128.2 million. Best historical scorer in the NBA and gold medalist last summer at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the American from the Los Angeles Lakers, who will celebrate his 40th birthday on December 30, retains a significant salary ($51.4 million) and still very popular with brands.
The quadruple MVP is ahead of another basketball player: Giannis Antetokounmpo, the star of the Milwaukee Bucks, darling of fans and sponsors, paid $111 million (he was 11th last year with $87.6 million).
On the 3rd step of the podium in 2023 with $120 million, Kylian Mbappé is now 6th with income which has fallen slightly ($110 million). Then we find the Frenchman's former partner at PSG, Neymar ($108 million), and Karim Benzema ($106 million), two other footballers who joined Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia in 2023.
This Top 10 is completed by Stephen Curry ($102 million), the American basketball player from the Golden State Warriors, and Lamar Jackson, the US soccer player who received $100.5 million (including a bonus of $72.5 million when he signed with the Baltimore Ravens) according to Forbes estimates.
For many sports commentators, it is no surprise if Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé or even Lionel Messi are part of the list of the 10 highest paid athletes of the year 2024.
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