Cristiano Ronaldo Becomes the World's Richest Athlete in 2025, Leaving Messi and LeBron Behind

Cristiano Ronaldo once again stands alone at the top as the world's highest-paid athlete for the period May 1, 2024 to May 1, 2025. The soccer megastar from Portugal recorded earnings of $275 million USD (approximately Rp4.61 trillion).

In the World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2025 report released by Forbes in May 2025, Ronaldo's earnings far surpassed other global icons from basketball, Boxing, and Baseball.

This report is Forbes' annual release that every May captures athletes' earnings over the past 12 months.

Forbes' list of the top 10 highest-paid athletes in the world for 2025:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo: $275 million USD (approximately Rp 4.61 trillion)

2. Stephen Curry: $156 million USD (approximately Rp 2.62 trillion)

3. Tyson Fury: $146 million USD (approximately Rp 2.45 trillion)

4. Dak Prescott: $137 million USD (approximately Rp 2.30 trillion)

5. Lionel Messi: $135 million USD (approximately Rp 2.26 trillion)

6. LeBron James: $133.8 million USD (approximately Rp 2.25 trillion)

7. Juan Soto: $114 million USD (approximately Rp 1.91 trillion)

8. Karim Benzema: $104 million USD (approximately Rp 1.74 trillion)

9. Shohei Ohtani: $102 million USD (approximately Rp 1.71 trillion)

10. Kevin Durant: $101 million USD (approximately Rp 1.69 trillion)

Note: The above figures are in USD as of the Forbes report release on May 15, 2025, then converted to rupiah at the current exchange rate on December 24, 2025, Rp16,765 per 1 USD. 

Ronaldo's dominance on this list reflects CR7's immense commercial appeal. Even at a mature athletic age, Ronaldo's brand value remains a primary magnet for global sponsors.

Forbes doesn't merely calculate salaries.

In its determination, Forbes interviews numerous industry-related parties and consults salary databases and news reports such as Capology, Over the Cap, and Spotrac.

All figures are converted to USD using exchange rates as of May 15, 2025. On-field earnings are rounded to the nearest $100,000 and include prize money, salaries, and bonuses.

For some soccer players, club-based image rights agreements or sponsor-subsidized team/league playing wages are also included.

Off-field earnings are estimates from sponsorship deals, appearance fees, and memorabilia/licensing income during the 12 months up to May 1, 2025.

Forbes excludes investment income like interest or dividend payments, only accounting for proceeds from equity shares athletes have sold.

With this methodology, Forbes emphasizes this list isn't just about fame, but about who truly converts popularity into economic power. 

And in 2025, no name accomplished this on a larger scale than Cristiano Ronaldo.