In February 2025, Sports industry news site Sportico’s released 4th Annual list of 100 Top Highest-Paid Athletes, Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese professional footballer is the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2024 for the 2nd consecutive year, earning USD 260 million, including USD 215 million from Salary/Winnings (from Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr) and USD 45 million from endorsements.
- Stephen Curry (USD 153.8 million), an American professional basketball player secured 2nd place, and Tyson Fury (USD 147 million), a British former professional boxer secured 3rd place on the list.
Female athletes were absent from the top 100 for the 2nd straight year; The top 100 also doesn’t include a single sportsperson from India.
Coco Gauff, an American professional Tennis player was the highest-paid female athlete in 2024 for the 2nd consecutive year with USD 30.4 million.
Points to Note:
i.In 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo became the 1st men’s player to score 900 career goals and played in his record 6th Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) European (Euro) Football Championship.
Top 5 100 Highest-Paid Athletes:
| Rank | Name | Sport | Country | Earnings (including Endorsements) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Football | Portugal | USD 260 million |
| 2 | Stephen Curry | Basketball | USA | USD 153.8 million |
| 3 | Tyson Fury | Boxing | England | USD 147 million |
| 4 | Lionel Messi | Football | Argentina | USD 135 million |
| 5 | LeBron Raymone James | Basketball | USA | USD 133.2 million |
About the 2024 List:
i.The top 100 highest-paid athletes include players from 8 sports and 27 countries and earned a total of USD 6.2 billion (a 14% increase from 2023),
- It includes USD 4.8 billion in salary, prize money, and USD 1.4 billion from endorsements.
ii.The 2024 list is based on earnings from January to December 2024.
iii.In the top 100, the representation of the National Basketball Association (NBA) includes 36 players (40 in 2023), and the National Football League (NFL) represents 22 players, (16 in 2023).
- The combined impact of these 2 leagues accounts for nearly 60% of the top 100.
Key Highlights:
i.The United States of America (USA) dominates the list with 64 athletes; In the United Kingdom (UK) 5 athletes made the top 100. Japan and France each had 3 representatives.
- The highest-paid athletes come from 8 different nationalities, with only two Americans.
ii.Tiger Woods (49) is the oldest athlete in the top 100 with earnings of USD 62.1 million, while Carlos Alcaraz (21), a Spanish tennis player is the youngest athlete who earned USD 40.4 million.
iii.Brazilian Football player Neymar Da Silva Santos Junior (33 years) is the only player under 36 among the top 8 highest earners. 11 athletes under 25 made the list
iv.Scottie Scheffler, an American Golfer made USD 104.3 million, achieving the highest on-course earnings in golf history.
- Scheffler became the 2nd non-LIV golfer to earn USD 100 million in a year after Tiger Woods.
