On May 15, Forbes released its ranking of the highest-paid athletes in the world, with Cristiano Ronaldo, the forward for Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr and Portugal national team, leading the list.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner earned a total of 275 million dollars from May 1, 2024, to May 1, 2025. Out of this sum, 225 million comes from his salary and bonuses from the World Club, while 50 million came from sponsorship contracts. On October 17, 2024, Forbes named Ronaldo the highest-paid athlete of the past year.
In second place is Stephen Curry, a four-time NBA champion (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) and Olympic champion with the USA team in 2024, who plays as a guard for the Golden State Warriors, with total earnings of 156 million dollars. Rounding out the top three is Tyson Fury, a former WBC world champion (2020-2024) and British boxer, who earned 146 million dollars.
On May 11, Marca reported that Al-Nassr management had suspended negotiations with Ronaldo regarding a contract extension with the Riyadh team, as his current contract is set to expire at the end of June 2025.
During the 2024/2025 season, Ronaldo played 28 matches in the Saudi Arabian league, scoring 23 goals and assisting three, in addition to playing eight matches in the elite AFC Champions League where he scored eight goals. The website Transfermarkt estimates the veteran's market value at 12 million euros.
