Cristiano Ronaldo leads Forbes’ 2026 50 highest-paid athletes [Full List]

Cristiano Ronaldo has retained his position as the world’s highest-paid athlete, earning an estimated $300 million over the 12-month period covered by Forbes’ 2026 ranking.

The Portuguese football star tops the list published by Forbes in May, with his combined earnings from sporting contracts, endorsements and other commercial activities putting him ahead of Mexican boxer Canelo Álvarez, who occupies second place with $170 million.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi follows in third position with $140 million, while basketball star LeBron James is fourth with $137.8 million. Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani completes the top five with earnings of $127.6 million.

The ranking highlights the earning power of football, basketball, boxing, American football, and other major sports, with athletes generating substantial income from both competition and commercial partnerships.

Below is the full list of the 50 highest-paid athletes, based on figures from Forbes’ 2026 ranking.

Top 10

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, football) — $300m
2. Canelo Álvarez (Mexico, boxing) — $170m
3. Lionel Messi (Argentina, football) — $140m
4. LeBron James (USA, basketball) — $137.8m
5. Shohei Ohtani (Japan, baseball) — $127.6m
6. Stephen Curry (USA, basketball) — $124.7m
7. Jon Rahm (Spain, golf) — $107m
8. Karim Benzema (France, football) — $104m
9. Kevin Durant (USA, basketball) — $103.8m
10. Lewis Hamilton (UK, Formula 1) — $100m

11–20

11. Kylian Mbappé (France, football) — $95m
12. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece, basketball) — $90m
13. Micah Parsons (USA, American football) — $86m
14. Max Verstappen (Netherlands, Formula 1) — $86m
15. Patrick Mahomes (USA, American football) — $84.7m
16. Brock Purdy (USA, American football) — $83.1m
17. Erling Haaland (Norway, football) — $80m
18. Lamar Jackson (USA, American football) — $73m
19. Josh Allen (USA, American football) — $72.6m
20. Travis Kelce (USA, American football) — $70m

21–30

21. Anthony Edwards (USA, basketball) — $69m
22. Juan Soto (Dominican Republic, baseball) — $68m
23. Jake Paul (USA, boxing) — $70m
24. Luka Dončić (Slovenia, basketball) — $65m
25. Scottie Scheffler (USA, golf) — $65m
26. Rory McIlroy (Ireland, golf) — $63m
27. Vinícius Júnior (Brazil, football) — $60m
28. Neymar (Brazil, football) — $60m
29. Justin Herbert (USA, American football) — $60m
30. Cade Cunningham (USA, basketball) — $58.6m

31–40

31. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada, basketball) — $57m
32. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain, tennis) — $61.5m
33. Novak Djokovic (Serbia, tennis) — $57m
34. Victor Wembanyama (France, basketball) — $56m
35. Jayson Tatum (USA, basketball) — $56m
36. Mohamed Salah (Egypt, football) — $55m
37. Sadio Mané (Senegal, football) — $55m
38. Tiger Woods (USA, golf) — $55m
39. Dustin Johnson (USA, golf) — $55m
40. Dak Prescott (USA, American football) — $55m

41–50

41. Tyreek Hill (USA, American football) — $54.8m
42. Devin Booker (USA, basketball) — $54.8m
43. Phil Mickelson (USA, golf) — $54.7m
44. Klay Thompson (USA, basketball) — $54.7m
45. Damian Lillard (USA, basketball) — $54.7m
46. Brooks Koepka (USA, golf) — $54.6m
47. Bryce Harper (USA, baseball) — $54.6m
48. Kyler Murray (USA, American football) — $54.6m
49. Derrick Henry (USA, American football) — $54.6m
50. Jannik Sinner (Italy, tennis) — $54.6m

Football accounts for several of the leading positions, with Ronaldo, Messi, Benzema and Mbappé among the top 11 earners. Basketball, American football and golf also have strong representation across the ranking.

Álvarez’s $170 million earnings place him second, underlining the significant income available in boxing, while Jake Paul also features among the 50 highest-paid athletes.

The figures cover the 12-month period used for Forbes’ 2026 ranking and include earnings from sporting activities, endorsements and other income.

The post Cristiano Ronaldo leads Forbes’ 2026 50 highest-paid athletes [Full List] appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.