Cristiano Ronaldo was the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2024, with the Portuguese topping the likes of Steph Curry, Tyson Fury and Lionel Messi, according to a list compiled by Sportico, but no female athletes featured in the top 100.
Evergreen frontman Ronaldo, who is still going strong with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr at 40 years of age, earned $260 million (£208m) across the last calendar year – with $215m (£172m) of that coming from his record-breaking contract in the Middle East.
The 40-year-old has enjoyed somewhat of a career renewal since moving to Saudi Arabia, scoring 82 goals in his 90 games for Al-Nassr and becoming the first man to have 900 career goals in September last year.
NBA superstar Curry, of the Golden State Warriors, fills second spot on the Sportico top-earners list on $153.8m (£123m). Former world heavyweight boxing champion Fury is third ($147m/£118m), while Ronaldo’s eternal rival Messi – who is now in MLS with Inter Miami – sitting fourth ($135m/£108m) and LA Lakers icon LeBron James ($133.2m/£107m) completing the top five.
Overall, the top 100 highest-paid athletes on the planet pulled in an estimated $6.2 billion (£5bn) between them. Prominent figures from eight different sports – football, basketball, boxing, golf, American football, Formula 1, baseball and tennis – make the list, with 27 countries represented.
There are no female athletes inside the top 100, with tennis superstar Coco Gauff – who won her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2024 – the top earner in her field at $30.4m (£24m). Her on and off-court appeal is expected to help her climb the charts in years to come.
