Football legend Cristiano Ronaldo is easily ahead of everyone else on the list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. The Al-Nassr forward tops Sportico’s list of the highest-paid athletes of 2026, earning more than $100 million more than the next athlete on the list.
Ronaldo’s contract with Al Nasr is very lucrative. The forward reportedly signed a two-year contract extension with the club last June worth nearly $700 million. When Ronaldo first joined the team in 2022, he reportedly signed a then-record contract that would pay him €200 million per year.
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All this makes Ronaldo one of the world’s highest-paid athletes on Sportico’s list. According to how Sportico builds its roster, Ronaldo’s annual salary is $260 million, which puts him well ahead of other athletes.
Boxer Canelo Alvarez, who signed a then-record $365 million contract with DAZN in 2018, ranks second on the list with a salary of $137 million. Alvarez fought Terence Crawford in September and reportedly earned between $100 million and $150 million for that fight.
Two other football stars rounded out the top 10, with Lionel Messi in third place. The Inter Miami star’s annual salary is said to be $130 million. Karim Benzema ranks sixth on Sportico’s list, with annual income of $115 million.
The rest of the top ten are athletes from other sports. While Shohei Ohtani and his $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers get all the media attention, he’s not the highest-paid MLB player on the list. That would be New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto, who broke Ohtani’s record last offseason when he signed a 15-year, $765 million contract. Soto ranks fourth on Sportico’s list. Ohtani ranked eighth.
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Three NBA players crack the top 10, with Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James leading the way in the sport. James ranks fifth with a salary of $128.7 million. Sportico estimates $80 million of that came from endorsements, one of the highest totals on the list. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry ranks seventh. Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant ranks ninth.
Golfer John Rahm rounded out the top 10 with a salary of $100.7 million. Rahm will join LIV Golf in 2023 and is rumored to be worth $500 million.
The only athlete on Sportico’s list with an estimated annual salary of more than $100 million is F1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton, who ranks 11th on the list with an annual salary of $100 million.