Ronaldo Named Highest-Paid Athlete Again

Cristiano Ronaldo has once again shown he is the king of sports earnings. He has been named the world’s highest-paid athlete for the sixth time, including four years in a row at No. 1.

According to Forbes on Sunday, the 41-year-old Portuguese star has now joined the ranks of the biggest earners in sports history. Only NBA legend Michael Jordan and golf legend Tiger Woods have stayed at No. 1 longer.

Forbes pointed out that this new achievement highlights Ronaldo’s spot at the top of the earnings list. He has now tied with Jordan for the second-most years as the world’s highest-paid athlete since the ranking started in 1990.

The report mentioned, “the 41-year-old Ronaldo’s 2026 total ties him with boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s haul from 2015 for the largest for an active athlete ever tracked by Forbes, dating to 1990 (unadjusted for inflation).”

It also praised his long-lasting success, stating, “the number of times Ronaldo has led the ranking across his career, including the last four years straight,” now stands at six.

Ronaldo’s continued reign at No. 1 comes as the global sports economy shifts, with younger athletes rising. Still, many veteran stars like Ronaldo remain at the top of the earnings charts.

The list shows Ronaldo is among a few older elite earners, along with LeBron James and Lewis Hamilton, all 41 years old. More than half of the top 50 athletes are now under 30.

Despite this, Ronaldo is still clearly leading the 2026 earnings list, ahead of stars from boxing, basketball, baseball, golf, and Formula 1.

Here are the top ten highest-paid athletes for 2026, according to Forbes, with their estimated total earnings (both on-field and off-field combined):

Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer), $300 million
Canelo Álvarez (Boxing), $170 million
Lionel Messi (Soccer), $140 million
LeBron James (Basketball), $137.8 million
Shohei Ohtani (Baseball), $127.6 million
Stephen Curry (Basketball), $124.7 million
Jon Rahm (Golf), $107 million
Karim Benzema (Soccer), $104 million
Kevin Durant (Basketball), $103.8 million
Lewis Hamilton (Formula 1), $100 million