Real Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo has retained his top spot as the world’s highest-paid athlete as Forbes released its annual ranking on Wednesday. The Portuguese winger earned a total of $93 million to maintain his status for the second consecutive year.
Tiger Woods and Floyd Mayweather, who had shared the spot for 15 straight years, did not make the cut. While Woods placed 17th, Mayweather did not make the cut at all.
The list of elite athletes consists of players from 11 different sports. Basketball dominates the list with a record 32 NBA players among the top 100, up from 18 in 2016, followed by baseball with 22 players, American football with 15 and football with 9.
| Rank | Athlete | Sport | Salary (£m) | Endorsements (£m) | Total Earnings (£m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Football | 44.8 | 27 | 71.8 |
| 2 | LeBron James | Basketball | 24.1 | 42.5 | 66.6 |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | Football | 40.9 | 20.9 | 61.8 |
| 4 | Roger Federer | Tennis | 4.6 | 44.8 | 49.4 |
| 5 | Kevin Durant | Basketball | 20.5 | 26.3 | 46.8 |
| 6 | Rory McIlroy | Golf | 12.4 | 26.3 | 38.6 |
| 6 | Andrew Luck | American Football | 36.3 | 2.3 | 38.6 |
| 8 | Stephen Curry | Basketball | 9.5 | 27 | 36.5 |
| 9 | James Harden | Basketball | 20.5 | 15.5 | 36 |
| 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Formula One | 29.4 | 6.2 | 35.5 |
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