The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes

In the modern digital age, we get to at least see glimpses of our icons’ lifestyle. You can find info about the latest multi-million-dollar contracts, endorsements, salaries, and investments. Social media posts, livestreams, independent journalists, and mainstream newsrooms all keep us posted about athletes we love.

However, we also want to know about other aspects of our beloved athletes, including their earnings. What is the highest paid sports activity, you may ask? Maybe you’re wondering who is the richest NFL player of all time. 

We know Cristiano Ronaldo dominates the annual earnings for active athletes. Nonetheless, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have kept their spots at the helm of the all-time highest-grossing athlete decades after retirement. I can think of many other names that stand out in different sports and there are many dozen categories to go around.

Kate Richardson, a seasoned sports finance analyst and writer offers her insight into the latest reports on global sports wealth. For the purpose of keeping things current, she focuses on athletes who are currently active.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

In 2025, Cristiano Ronaldo is yet again the most paid after pulling in an estimated $275 million in gross income. This is the third time in a row for him after topping the 2024 and 2023 charts. His first appearance at the top spot was in 2016 with $88 million and the second time was a year later in 2017 with $93 million.

A huge chunk of the $275 million is from the paycheck Al-Nassr of the Saudi Pro League pays him. Cristiano Ronaldo yearly salary is an estimated $225 million, and rightfully so considering he is the most decorated striker in the world. Hitting over 900 goals during the last Euros, reminded us why fans and bookmakers love Cristiano.

He is now set on making history by scoring a century of goals before retiring and you can find dozens of prop bets every time he plays. The review of StoneVegas brand from MightyTips brand covers more about the soccer betting options available. Markets range from Ronaldo to score first goal, to futures like him hitting the 1,000-goal mark or lifting the upcoming World Cup. As things stand, it’s the only cup he’s yet to win.

Outside his on-pitch excellence, Cristiano makes a fortune from ventures, endorsements, and investments. In fact, he made $50 million from off-field endeavors, which include his investments in Whoop, Vista Alegre, Bioniq, and a film studio.

Ronaldo also has a YouTube channel with over 75 million subscribers, and a social media presence with over 939 million followers across Instagram, X, and Facebook. In February, he used his channel to stream a Riyadh Padel tournament, drawing in over 620k live viewers. He has also collaborated with top YouTube creators like MrBeast.

2. Stephen Curry

If you’re tuned into the world of professional basketball, you’ve definitely heard about Steph Curry. The Golden State Warriors guard has made headlines over the past few years for his talents on the court. His accounts match the incredible displays he gives to all of us, coming second in the list of highest-paid athletes. 

Stephen Curry pulled $156 million to claim the second spot after Ronaldo, with about $100 million of that coming from off-field endorsements. This feat means he is now one of only five athletes to gross nine figures in a year from off-field earnings alone. 

The other peculiar name here is Dodger’s Shohei Ohtani who grossed just over $102 million. Only $2 million came from his annual salary, while over $100 million was from off-field endeavors. Three other athletes are in this category; Conor McGregor ($158 million in 2021), Tiger Woods ($105 million in 2009), and Roger Federer ($100 million in 2020). 

Curry, who just became the first NBA player to achieve 4,000 career three-pointers has multiple off-field ventures. He extended his sneaker deal with Under Armour and is set to receive $75 million in stock compensation. Curry’s other investments include Nirvana Water, Plezi Hydration, and Unanimous Media.

3. Tyson Fury

Boxing has long been known to pay handsomely with superstars like Floyd Mayweather making a fortune from the sport. In fact, Floyd is in the top 10 list of all-time highest-paid athletes, racking in over a billion dollars. The pay-per-view events are global and do crazy numbers, especially in the modern livestreaming world. 

Matches involving championships, like the recent Jevgenijs vs Seck showdown, are known to make millions of dollars and the boxers get their due cuts. In 2025, the highest-paid boxer is Tyson Fury, who comes in third on our list after grossing an estimated $146 million. 

Fury is a worldwide sensation. His two fights against Usyk in Riyadh have cemented the UK national’s position as one of boxing’s greats. He had hinted about retiring from boxing after defeating Dillian White in 2022, stating that “no amount of money” would lure him back. However, he gave us two more incredible fights that will be talked about for years. 

About $140 million of his earnings came from on-field payments, with only $6 million coming from off-field ventures. The boxer has various partnerships outside the ring, including one with Malta, where he promotes tourism. He trained in the country when preparing for the second fight against Usyk. Fury also has a Netflix reality show with one season out.

Other Highest Paid Athletes

We can’t have a fair list of the highest-paid athletes without including all-time earners like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. Even though this list is for active athletes Michael Jordan yearly income alone is worth a mention. The retired NBA player still makes more money than all active players, including Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Thanks to his partnership with Nike, and other endorsements, appearances, and memorabilia, Jordan made an estimated $300 million in 2024 alone. Michael Jordan Nike salary has pushed his career earnings to over $3 billion, which is over a billion more than second-placed Tiger Woods. Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, and Lionel Messi complete the top five.

In the 2025 list, Lionel Messi comes in fifth at $135 million, behind Dak Prescott. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback occupies the fourth spot at $137 million and is the highest paid NFL player in 2025. LA Lakers forward LeBron James occupies the sixth spot with $133.8 million but has a thriving business empire. 

LeBron is one of two active athletes who have become billionaires even though he recently hinted at hanging up his sneakers.

“I’ll take some vacation time with the family and see what this next journey looks like,” said the 21-time All-Star. 

Here’s a continuation of the top 10 list of highest-paid athletes in 2025:

• Juan Soto ($114 million)
• Karim Benzema ($104 million)
• Shohei Ohtani ($102.5 million) 
• Kevin Durant ($101.4 million)

Conclusion

Athletes are some of the highest paid individuals but their paycheck isn’t the only source of income. Some superstars have built a huge presence on social media and are able to capitalize on endorsements, and promotions. Others have ventured into businesses and products to create wealth that’ll last many years after retirement. 

Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Brady, Roger Federer, and Floyd Mayweather remain the top earners in their respective sports. Other leaders include Alex Rodriguez and Michael Schumacher. However, the annual earnings keep changing due to new endorsements and ventures.

The article was provided by Kate Richardson