The top 10 highest-paid athletes in the world in 2025 include Cristiano Ronaldo, Jon Rahm, Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Neymar, Stephen Curry, Karim Benzema, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kylian Mbappé, and Jared Goff.
Famous soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest-paid athlete in the world. He earns approximately $200 million per year under his current contract, which expires in 2025. Ronaldo earned an estimated $220 million on the field in 2024 and $65 million off the field, such as through various brand partnerships.
In second place, Spanish professional golfer Jon Rahm earned an estimated total of $218 million in 2024. It should be noted that Rahm left the PGA Tour to join the rival LIV Golf League in 2023 in a multi-year deal worth more than $350 million. According to Investopedia, he earned $198 million in 2024 on the field and $20 million in contracts with various companies off the field.
The world’s highest-paid athletes include sports fields and total earnings, and data from Investopedia.
Soccer legend Lionel Messi, who won the World Cup in 2022, earned a total of $135 million in 2024, with $65 million on the field with Major League Soccer team Inter Miami and $70 million off the field through his various sponsorship deals and businesses. Messi has brand partnerships with other companies, including Pepsi, Adidas, Apple, and Lowe’s, which generate a lot of revenue every year.
American basketball power forward LeBron James ranks fourth among the highest-paid athletes in the world, earning $48.7 million in salary for 2024-25. He is currently the highest-paid NBA player and the first active NBA player to become a billionaire in 2022.
In 2024, Brazilian soccer player Neymar earned $80 million on the field and $30 million off the field with Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal, but he only played seven times for Al-Hilal in 18 months at the club. And Neymar has partnerships with various brands, from which he gets a lot of money.
Four-time NBA Champion Stephen Curry earned $55.8 million as a Golden State Warriors point guard and another $50 million off the court.
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