London (Reuters)
Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, leader of Al-Nasr Saudi Arabia, topped Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career, while Spanish golfer John Rahm advanced to second place, after his exciting move to the Saudi-backed “Live Golf” tournament.
Ronaldo became the highest-paid athlete in the world, after moving to Al-Nassr, and Forbes estimated that the Portuguese (39 years old)’s total income was in the range of $260 million, which is the highest wage ever for a football player.
His playing income reached $200 million, while his earnings off the field amounted to $60 million, thanks to sponsorship deals, with brands benefiting from his 629 million followers on the Instagram application.
Rahm, the winner of two major golf tournaments, moved to the Live Golf Championship last December in a major deal that shocked the entire sports community, after media reports estimated that the current fifth-ranked player in the world earned at least $300 million.
Apart from that amount, Rahm earned $218 million and joined Ronaldo in being the only sports duo whose salary exceeds $200 million.
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi came in third place, having moved to Inter Miami in the American League in a lucrative deal that helped the Argentine World Cup winner raise $135 million.
Messi (36 years old)’s playing income amounted to $65 million, but his income outside the field amounted to $70 million thanks to deals with major sponsors such as Adidas and Apple.
LeBron James, the player for the Los Angeles Lakers, the competitor in the NBA, comes fourth with an income of $128.2 million, and although the 39-year-old player, who is the first player in the American League to score 40,000 points in his career, is approaching the end of his career, He is destined to get one last chance at the Olympics.
James’ NBA teammate and Milwaukee Bucks player Giannis Antetokounmpo completed the top five ($111 million), while Kylian Mbappe, captain of the French national football team, fell to sixth place ($110 million).
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