Cristiano Ronaldo Tops Forbes 2026 Athlete Earnings List at $300 Million as Top 10 Reach $1.4 Billion
Updated
Updated · Forbes · May 22
Cristiano Ronaldo Tops Forbes 2026 Athlete Earnings List at $300 Million as Top 10 Reach $1.4 Billion
5 articles · Updated · Forbes · May 22
$300 million put Cristiano Ronaldo atop Forbes' highest-paid athletes ranking for a fourth straight year and sixth overall, tying Floyd Mayweather's 2015 record for the biggest annual haul Forbes has tracked.
Ronaldo's total was driven by $235 million from Al-Nassr and $65 million off the field, up $25 million from 2025 after his move to Saudi Arabia more than tripled his on-field income versus his final Premier League season.
$1.4 billion was earned by the top 10 athletes combined, with every member topping $100 million for a third straight year as off-field income hit a record $513 million and offset a 2% drop in on-field pay.
Shohei Ohtani ranked fifth at $127.6 million but led all athletes off the field with $125 million, while Canelo Alvarez was second at $170 million and Lionel Messi third at $140 million.
The list's average age rose to a record 37, underscoring how veteran stars and Saudi-backed deals are reshaping sports pay even as the kingdom signals some pullback in funding.
As Saudi Arabia pivots its sports strategy, will the financial bubble for elite athletes burst or simply shift to new ventures?
Women's sports viewership is surging, so why does the massive gender pay gap for top athletes still persist?