International soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo ($136 million), Lionel Messi ($130 million) and Kylian Mbappe ($120 million) are the top three highest-paid athletes. Ronaldo leads the way with an estimated haul of $136 million, including $46 million from his playing salary and bonuses and $90 million from endorsements, appearances, licensing income and other business endeavors. Mbappé, who at age 24 comes in at No. 3 with $120 million, and Johnson, who lands at No. 6 with $107 million, make eye-popping debuts in the top ten.
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Forbes calculates on-field earnings based on prize money, salaries and bonuses, while off-field earnings are an estimate of sponsorship deals, appearance fees and memorabilia and licensing income. It also includes cash returns from businesses that are operated by the athlete. The world’s ten highest-paid athletes collectively made $1.11 billion before taxes and agents’ fees over the last 12 months, the highest total ever.
| Athlete | Earnings (USD) |
|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | $136 million |
| Lionel Messi | $130 million |
| Kylian Mbappé | $120 million |
| LeBron James | $119.5 million |
| Canelo Álvarez | $110 million |
| Dustin Johnson | $107 million |
| Phil Mickelson | $106 million |
| Stephen Curry | $100.4 million |
| Roger Federer | $95.1 million |
| Kevin Durant | $89.1 million |
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