Overview
- Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list for a third straight year at $260 million, followed by Canelo Álvarez at $137 million and Lionel Messi at $130 million.
- Juan Soto ($129.2 million) and Shohei Ohtani ($102.5 million) give MLB its first top-10 placements since Sportico began tracking in 2021.
- Soto’s total was powered by a $46.9 million salary and a $75 million Mets signing bonus, while Ohtani led all athletes in endorsement income at an estimated $100 million.
- LeBron James ranks as the NBA’s top earner at $128.7 million with $80 million from endorsements, as Stephen Curry’s off-court haul fell to $50 million after his split from Under Armour.
- Sportico reports the top 100 earned $6.05 billion in 2025, down 2.1% year over year, with methodological caveats on opaque contracts; the men’s cutoff was $37.9 million and Coco Gauff led women at $37.5 million.