According to Forbes, atop the list for the fourth consecutive year is Portuguese soccer star, Cristiano Ronaldo, with an estimated $300 million, levelling the best year ever measured by the American Business Magazine.
At number 19 on the list is Manchester City sharpshooter, Erling Braut Haaland, with total earnings of $80 million.
Inter Miami Argentine forward, Lionel Messi, sits on the third position with total earnings of $140 million; and American basketball player, LeBron James, who plays for Los Angeles Lakers (LA Lakers), emerged the first man from the fast-paced team sport to make the list, sitting on the 4th position with total earnings of $137.8 million.
Top 20 World’s Highest Paid Athletes
| Spot | Athlete | Sport | Country | Total Earnings |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Soccer | Portugal | $300m |
| 2 | Canelo Alvarez | Boxing | Mexico | $170m |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | Soccer | Argentina | $140m |
| 4 | LeBron James | Basketball | United States (US) | $137.8m |
| 5 | Shoheil Ohtani | Baseball | Japan | $127.6m |
| 6 | Stephen Curry | Basketball | United States (US) | $124.7m |
| 7 | Jon Rahm | Golf | Spain | $107m |
| 8 | Karim Benzema | Soccer | France | $104m |
| 9 | Kevin Durant | Basketball | United States (US) | $103.8m |
| 10 | Lewsi Hamilton | Auto Racing | Uniyes Kingdom (UK) | $100m |
| 11 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Basketball | Greece | $99.2m |
| 12 | Kylian Mbappe | Soccer | France | $95m |
| 13 | Micah Parsons | Football | United States (US) | $86.4m |
| 14 | Max Verstappen | Auto Racing | Netherlands | $86m |
| 15 | Patrick Mahomes | Football | United States (US) | $84.7m |
| 16 | Scottie Scheffler | Golf | United States (US) | $84.6m |
| 17 | Bruck Purdy | Football | United States (US) | $83.1m |
| 18 | Jayson Tatum | Basketball | United States (US) | $82.2m |
| 19 | Erling Haaland | Soccer | Norway | $80m |
| 20 | Rory McIlroy | Golf | United Kingdom (UK) | $76.4m |
Photo: Saudi Professional League club, Al Nassr, Portuguese forward, Cristiano Ronaldo | Cristiano Ronaldo/X
