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The top winners of 2025: These athletes earn millions!
Forbes presents the highest paid athletes of 2025: record earnings, basketball dominance and new trends in the sports industry.
The top winners of 2025: These athletes earn millions!
The business magazine Forbes recently published the list of the highest paid athletes of the year. Over the past twelve months, the 50 highest-paid athletes collectively earned an impressive $4.23 billion, which is almost half a billion more than the previous year ($3.88 billion). This represents a remarkable 67 percent increase over the last four years.
Basketball tops the list of sports and has the largest group with 16 athletes. This development is largely due to the NBA's increased salary cap. A change is also being seen in golf as players benefit from the new LIV Tour and generate increased income.
Top ten highest paid athletes
What's particularly notable is that the top 10 highest-paid athletes each earn more than $100 million. The total revenue of these ten sports stars was $1.38 billion, an increase of 24 percent compared to the previous year. Jon Rahm, who moved from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf, earned the most ever by a golfer at $218 million, placing him second on the list. This is led by Cristiano Ronaldo with $260 million.
| Place | name | Income (US$) | Winnings on field (US$) | Off-field earnings (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 260,000,000 | 200,000,000 | 60,000,000 |
| 2 | Jon Rahm | 218,000,000 | 198,000,000 | 20,000,000 |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | 135,000,000 | 65,000,000 | 70,000,000 |
| 4 | LeBron James | 128,200,000 | 48,200,000 | 80,000,000 |
| 5 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | 111,000,000 | 46,000,000 | 65,000,000 |
| 6 | Kylian Mbappe | 110,000,000 | 90,000,000 | 20,000,000 |
| 7 | Neymar | 108,000,000 | 80,000,000 | 28,000,000 |
| 8 | Karim Benzema | 106,000,000 | 100,000,000 | 6,000,000 |
| 9 | Stephen Curry | 102,000,000 | 52,000,000 | 50,000,000 |
| 10 | Lamar Jackson | 100,500,000 | 98,500,000 | 2,000,000 |
Ronaldo is not only the highest-paid athlete, but also leads the league in goalscoring with 33 goals and has numerous sponsorship contracts. Jon Rahm, who is also the captain of the LIV team Legion XIII, has already earned $6.6 million in the current PGA Tour season.
Global trends in sports
Athletes' salaries are rising due to more expensive media rights and advertising deals. The Middle East is considered a rich source of income for top athletes. In recent years, the distribution of income among athletes has become more equal, leading to a question of competition and the future of sport.
Overall, the list of highest paid athletes is a reflection of the growing market and commercial opportunities that exist for athletes today. Capital notes that revenue for the top ten overall increased 12 percent year-over-year, underscoring the continued momentum in the sports business.