Cristiano Ronaldo has once again topped the global sports rich list after being named the world’s highest-paid athlete for a sixth time, extending his remarkable reign at the summit of sports earnings.
The latest rankings released by Forbes on Sunday showed that the Portuguese superstar has now spent six years as the highest-earning athlete in the world, including an unbroken run of four consecutive years at the top.
Ronaldo’s achievement places him among the most successful earners in sporting history, behind only basketball great Michael Jordan, who led the rankings six times, and golf legend Tiger Woods, who occupied the position on 11 occasions.
According to Forbes, Ronaldo has now equalled Jordan’s record for the second-highest number of years spent as the world’s best-paid athlete since the rankings were introduced in 1990.
The publication stated that “the 41-year-old Ronaldo’s 2026 total ties him with boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s haul from 2015 for the largest for an active athlete ever tracked by Forbes, dating to 1990 (unadjusted for inflation).”
It further emphasized his consistency at the top, noting that “the number of times Ronaldo has led the ranking across his career, including the last four years straight,” now stands at six.
Ronaldo’s continued dominance comes despite a changing sports landscape increasingly driven by younger stars, while a handful of veteran athletes continue to command massive earnings worldwide.
The 41-year-old remains part of a select group of experienced athletes at the top of the earnings chart, alongside basketball icon LeBron James and Formula One star Lewis Hamilton, even as athletes under the age of 30 account for more than half of the top 50 earners.
Despite the growing presence of younger competitors, Ronaldo comfortably leads the 2026 list, ahead of leading figures from football, boxing, basketball, baseball, golf and Formula One.
Forbes’ top 10 highest-paid athletes in the world for 2026 are:
Cristiano Ronaldo (Football) — $300 million
Canelo Álvarez (Boxing) — $170 million
Lionel Messi (Football) — $140 million
LeBron James (Basketball) — $137.8 million
Shohei Ohtani (Baseball) — $127.6 million
Stephen Curry (Basketball) — $124.7 million
Jon Rahm (Golf) — $107 million
Karim Benzema (Football) — $104 million
Kevin Durant (Basketball) — $103.8 million
Lewis Hamilton (Formula One) — $100 million
