The world’s highest-paid athletes
By the end of 2025, Cristiano Ronaldo became the world’s highest-paid athlete, overtaking LeBron James and Lionel Messi. Against this backdrop, Qazinform News Agency takes a closer look at the highest-paid athletes across different sports.
According to the Sportico ranking, the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world include representatives of football, basketball, boxing, baseball, American football, tennis, and golf.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), football, $260 million
Cristiano Ronaldo topped the global earnings ranking in 2025. The core of this figure is his contract with Saudi club Al-Nassr, signed at the end of 2022 and extended on improved terms, which guarantees him roughly $200 million per year in salary and bonuses, making it the largest playing contract in football history on an annual basis.
An additional $60 million came from endorsement and commercial activity. Ronaldo maintains long-term sponsorship deals with Nike, Herbalife, Binance, and several Saudi-based partners, and also generates significant revenue through his own CR7 brand, which includes fashion, fragrances, and hospitality projects. With more than 670 million followers across social media platforms, Ronaldo remains the most followed athlete in the world, a factor that continues to drive his unmatched commercial value and keeps his total income well ahead of all competitors.
Canelo Alvarez (Mexico), boxing, $137 million
One of the most commercially successful boxers of the 21st century, Alvarez has captured world titles in four weight divisions and previously held undisputed status at super middleweight. The bulk of his 2025 income, estimated at around $125 million, came from fight purses, with an additional $12 million generated through endorsements and sponsorship deals. During the year, Alvarez took part in two high-profile bouts, each negotiated on a fight-by-fight basis rather than under a long-term promotional contract.
Juan Soto (Dominican Republic), baseball, $129.2 million
Juan Soto signed a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets, the largest guaranteed contract in Major League Baseball and one of the biggest in all of professional sports history.
LeBron James (United States), basketball, $128.7 million
A four-time league champion and Finals MVP, he became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in 2023, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s long-standing record.
His income combines a high-value NBA contract with major endorsement deals, including a lifetime partnership with Nike, as well as investments in media, sports franchises, and entertainment through his production company SpringHill.
Jon Rahm (Spain), golf, $100.7 million
Jon Rahm is a two-time major champion, having won the U.S. Open in 2021 and the Masters Tournament in 2023. He has spent more than 60 weeks as world number one and consistently ranked among the top players on the PGA Tour.
A sharp increase in his income followed his move to the LIV Golf tour, where he signed one of the most profitable contracts in the history of professional golf.
Lewis Hamilton (United Kingdom), motorsport, about $100 million
Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time Formula One world champion. He holds the all-time records for race wins, pole positions, and podium finishes, and was a central figure in Mercedes’ era of dominance throughout the 2010s, winning six of his seven titles with Mercedes.
Patrick Mahomes (United States), American football, $80.3 million
Patrick Mahomes is the star quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs. Since being drafted in the first round in 2017, he has led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl titles (LIV, LVII, LVIII) and earned three Super Bowl MVP awards. Mahomes is also a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player (2018, 2022) and a six-time Pro Bowl selection.
Off the field, he signed a historic long-term contract with Kansas City that ranks among the most valuable in professional sports.
Carlos Alcaraz (Spain), tennis, $57.8 million
Carlos Alcaraz won his first major title at the 2022 US Open, becoming the youngest world number one in ATP history at just 19 years old. He later added further Grand Slam titles. Alcaraz is known for his aggressive all-court style, exceptional speed, powerful forehand, and tactical maturity well beyond his age.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that freestyle skier Eileen Gu became the highest-paid athlete of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
