List of the highest-paid athletes of 2025 revealed
Photo: Cristiano Ronaldo earns the most (Getty Images)
American outlet Sportico, which specializes in the business of sports, has published a list of athletes who earned the most based on the results of 2025.
More than $6 billion in total
The list includes representatives of eight sports from 28 countries, and their combined income amounted to $6.05 billion.
Of this amount:
$4.63 billion – salaries and prize money
$1.42 billion – income outside competitions (advertising, sponsorships, media projects, etc.)
Ronaldo is first again
As in 2024, the leader of the ranking was Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. According to the calculations, he earned $260 million last year, of which $200 million came from his contract, including bonuses and prize money, and another $60 million from income off the football field.
Following Ronaldo in the ranking are boxer Canelo Álvarez with income of $137 million, Inter Miami footballer Lionel Messi ($130 million), New York Mets baseball player Juan Soto ($129.2 million), and Los Angeles Lakers basketball player LeBron James ($128.7 million).
Despite the growth of income in women’s sports, no female athlete made it into the top 100 of the ranking. The highest-paid woman in 2025 was American tennis player Coco Gauff, who earned $31 million, but this was not enough to enter the list.
Top 10 highest-paid athletes of 2025:
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, football) – $260 million
- Canelo Álvarez (Mexico, boxing) – $137 million
- Lionel Messi (Argentina, football) – $130 million
- Juan Soto (Dominican Republic, baseball) – $129.2 million
- LeBron James (USA, basketball) – $128.7 million
- Karim Benzema (France, football) – $115 million
- Stephen Curry (USA, basketball) – $105.4 million
- Shohei Ohtani (Japan, baseball) – $102.5 million
- Kevin Durant (USA, basketball) – $100.8 million
- Jon Rahm (Spain, golf) – $100.7 million
Where is Usyk?
In last year’s ranking, the Ukrainian boxer placed seventh. In 2024, Usyk earned $120 million for two victorious fights against British boxer Tyson Fury. He also received $2 million from sponsorship contracts.
However, this year, the richest athlete in Ukraine did not make it into the top 100. In 2025, Usyk fought only once – against Daniel Dubois for the title of undisputed champion. And although he received a record purse for it, the amount after paying all taxes and obligations turned out to be not so significant on a global scale.
Read also a ranking of the most valuable teams in world sport.
