Former Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list of the 100 highest-paid athletes in 2023 with earnings of £218 million.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner earned an exorbitant fee of £175 million after moving from Manchester United to Al Nassr in 2023.
Cristiano Ronaldo's earnings include £43 million from endorsements from the likes of Nike, Herbalife, Armani, Tag Heuer, DAZN, and PokerStars, as well as his own brand, CR7.
He was already the highest-paid player in the world before joining the Middle East team, Al Nassr.
However, his lucrative move to Al Nassr in the Saudi Arabia Pro League helped him maintain the top spot in the top three of the list.
The second on the list is LIV Golf player John Rahm, who earned £161 million in 2023 after he lifted the Golf Masters before making a shocking move to the Saudi-funded Breakaway League.
Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami, comes in third on the list.
The World Cup winner took home around £103 million, including endorsements, in 2023.
World-famous LeBron James secured fourth place on the list of the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world. The American basketballer was paid £36 million in salary.
LeBron James earnings from endorsement deals were estimated to be around £64 million, bringing his total earnings to £100 million in 2023.
Mbappe, who secured the fifth spot, collected around £99.2 million in 2023, which includes £20 million in sponsorship deals and endorsements.
Neymar got the sixth place on the list of the top 100 highest-earning athletes with a sum of £28 million in sponsorship deals and endorsements, and his total earnings in 2023 being accumulated to £96 million.
Another basketball player apart from LeBron James on the list is Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, who has a total earnings of £78.5 million in 2023.
It is followed by two famous NBA players, Giannis Antetokounmpo with a total earning of £70.2 million and Kevin Durant with a total earning of £69 million in 2023.
This is the list of the 100 highest-paid athletes in 2023
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (football): £218m
2. Jon Rahm (Golf): £161m
3. Lionel Messi (football): £103m
4. LeBron James (NBA): £99.8m
5. Kylian Mbappe (football): £99.2m
6. Neymar (football): £96m
7. Stephen Curry (NBA): £78.5m
8. Giannis Antetokounmpo (NBA): £70.2m
9. Kevin Durant (NBA): £69m
10. Patrick Mahomes (NFL): £66.9m
11. Lamar Jackson (NFL): £65.5m
12. Karim Benzema (football): £61m
13. Rory McIlroy (Golf): £61m
14. Tiger Woods (Golf): £61m
15. Max Verstappen (F1): £59.5m
16. Shohei Ohtani (basketball): £55.6m
17. Canelo Alvarez (boxing): £52.4m
18. Erling Haaland (football): £50m
19. Lewis Hamilton (F1): £49.2m
20. Max Scherzer (Baseball): £48.2m
21. Damian Lillard (NBA): £47.8m
22. Klay Thompson (NBA): £47.7m
23. Mohamed Salah (football): £44.4m
24. Anthony Joshua (boxing): £43.6m
25. Russell Westbrook (NBA): £42.8m
26. Nick Bosa (NFL): £42.5m
27. Viktor Hovland (golf): £41.5m
28. Scottie Scheffler (golf): £41.5m
29. James Harden (basketball): £40.9m
30. Joe Burrow (NFL): £40.9m
31. Paul George (basketball): £40.5m
32. Bradley Beal (basketball): £40.1m
33. Kawhi Leonard (basketball): £39.7m
34. Luka Doncic (basketball): £39.4m
35. Jimmy Butler (basketball): £38m
36. Daniel Jones (NFL): £37.7m
37. Jake Paul (boxing): £37.3m
38. Joel Embiid (basketball): £37.1m
39. Brooks Koepka (golf): £37m
40. Deshaun Watson (NFL): £36.9m
41. Devin Booker (basketball): £36.7m
42. Aaron Rodgers (NFL): £36.4m
43. Nikola Jokic (basketball): £36.3m
44. Anthony Davis (basketball): £36.1m
45. Dak Prescott (NFL): £35.7m
46. Novak Djokovic (tennis): £35.6m
47. Trae Young (basketball): £35.5m
48. Justin Verlander (baseball): £35.3m
49. Aaron Judge (baseball): £34.9m
50. Zach LaVine (basketball): £34.7m
51. Cameron Smith (golf): £34.3m
52. Kyrie Irving (basketball): £34.3m
53. Jordan Spieth (golf): £34m
54. Gervonta Davis (boxing): £33.7m
55. Kyler Murray (NFL): £33.7m
56. Carlos Alcaraz (tennis): £33.5m
57. Jamal Murray (basketball): £32.5m
58. Ryan Garcia (boxing): £32.1m
59. Mike Trout (baseball): £32.1m
60. Donovan Mitchell (basketball): £32m
61. Rudy Gobert (basketball): £31.9m
62. Talor Gooch (golf): £31.9m
63. Jayson Tatum (basketball): £31.8m
64. Tyson Fury (boxing): £31.7m
65. Rashan Gary (NFL): £31.6m
66. Tobias Harris (basketball): £31.2m
67. Chris Paul (basketball): £30.5m
68. Ben Simmons (basketball): £30.4m
69. Anthony Rendon (baseball): £30.4m
70. Pascal Siakam (basketball): £30.1m
71. Russell Wilson (NFL): £30.1m
72. Sadio Mane (football): £30.1m
73. CJ McCollum (basketball): £30.1m
74. Jrue Holiday (basketball): £30m
75. Zion Williamson (basketball): £29.8m
76. Gerrit Cole (baseball): £27.7m
77. Corey Seager (baseball): £29.7m
78. Karl-Anthony Towns (basketball): £29.5m
79. Carlos Correa (baseball): £29.3m
80. Josh Allen (NFL): £29.3m
81. Kristaps Porzingis (basketball): £29.1m
82. Brandon Ingram (basketball): £28.6m
83. Riyad Mahrez (football): £28.5m
84. Robert Lewandowski (Football): £28.5m
85. Chris Lindstrom (NFL): £28.4m
86. Dustin Johnson (Golf): £28.3m
87. Khris Middleton (NBA): £28 million
88. Kevin de Bruyne (Football): £27.8m
89. Michael Porter Jr. (NBA): £26.9m
90. Orlando Brown Jr. (NFL): £26.8m
91. Gordon Hayward (basketball): £26.7m
92. Stephen Strasburg (baseball): £26.6m
93. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (basketball): £26.6m
94. Bryce Harper (baseball): £26.3m
95. Kirk Cousins (NFL): £26.2m
96. De'Aaron Fox (basketball): £26.1m
97. Miguel Cabrera (baseball): £26m
98. Bam Adebayo (basketball): £25.9m
99. Giancarlo Stanton (baseball): £25.8 million
100. Derek Carr (NFL): £25.8m
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner earned an exorbitant fee of £175 million after moving from Manchester United to Al Nassr in 2023.
Cristiano Ronaldo's earnings include £43 million from endorsements from the likes of Nike, Herbalife, Armani, Tag Heuer, DAZN, and PokerStars, as well as his own brand, CR7.
He was already the highest-paid player in the world before joining the Middle East team, Al Nassr.
However, his lucrative move to Al Nassr in the Saudi Arabia Pro League helped him maintain the top spot in the top three of the list.
The second on the list is LIV Golf player John Rahm, who earned £161 million in 2023 after he lifted the Golf Masters before making a shocking move to the Saudi-funded Breakaway League.
Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami, comes in third on the list.
The World Cup winner took home around £103 million, including endorsements, in 2023.
World-famous LeBron James secured fourth place on the list of the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world. The American basketballer was paid £36 million in salary.
LeBron James earnings from endorsement deals were estimated to be around £64 million, bringing his total earnings to £100 million in 2023.
Mbappe, who secured the fifth spot, collected around £99.2 million in 2023, which includes £20 million in sponsorship deals and endorsements.
Neymar got the sixth place on the list of the top 100 highest-earning athletes with a sum of £28 million in sponsorship deals and endorsements, and his total earnings in 2023 being accumulated to £96 million.
Another basketball player apart from LeBron James on the list is Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, who has a total earnings of £78.5 million in 2023.
It is followed by two famous NBA players, Giannis Antetokounmpo with a total earning of £70.2 million and Kevin Durant with a total earning of £69 million in 2023.
This is the list of the 100 highest-paid athletes in 2023
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (football): £218m
2. Jon Rahm (Golf): £161m
3. Lionel Messi (football): £103m
4. LeBron James (NBA): £99.8m
5. Kylian Mbappe (football): £99.2m
6. Neymar (football): £96m
7. Stephen Curry (NBA): £78.5m
8. Giannis Antetokounmpo (NBA): £70.2m
9. Kevin Durant (NBA): £69m
10. Patrick Mahomes (NFL): £66.9m
11. Lamar Jackson (NFL): £65.5m
12. Karim Benzema (football): £61m
13. Rory McIlroy (Golf): £61m
14. Tiger Woods (Golf): £61m
15. Max Verstappen (F1): £59.5m
16. Shohei Ohtani (basketball): £55.6m
17. Canelo Alvarez (boxing): £52.4m
18. Erling Haaland (football): £50m
19. Lewis Hamilton (F1): £49.2m
20. Max Scherzer (Baseball): £48.2m
21. Damian Lillard (NBA): £47.8m
22. Klay Thompson (NBA): £47.7m
23. Mohamed Salah (football): £44.4m
24. Anthony Joshua (boxing): £43.6m
25. Russell Westbrook (NBA): £42.8m
26. Nick Bosa (NFL): £42.5m
27. Viktor Hovland (golf): £41.5m
28. Scottie Scheffler (golf): £41.5m
29. James Harden (basketball): £40.9m
30. Joe Burrow (NFL): £40.9m
31. Paul George (basketball): £40.5m
32. Bradley Beal (basketball): £40.1m
33. Kawhi Leonard (basketball): £39.7m
34. Luka Doncic (basketball): £39.4m
35. Jimmy Butler (basketball): £38m
36. Daniel Jones (NFL): £37.7m
37. Jake Paul (boxing): £37.3m
38. Joel Embiid (basketball): £37.1m
39. Brooks Koepka (golf): £37m
40. Deshaun Watson (NFL): £36.9m
41. Devin Booker (basketball): £36.7m
42. Aaron Rodgers (NFL): £36.4m
43. Nikola Jokic (basketball): £36.3m
44. Anthony Davis (basketball): £36.1m
45. Dak Prescott (NFL): £35.7m
46. Novak Djokovic (tennis): £35.6m
47. Trae Young (basketball): £35.5m
48. Justin Verlander (baseball): £35.3m
49. Aaron Judge (baseball): £34.9m
50. Zach LaVine (basketball): £34.7m
51. Cameron Smith (golf): £34.3m
52. Kyrie Irving (basketball): £34.3m
53. Jordan Spieth (golf): £34m
54. Gervonta Davis (boxing): £33.7m
55. Kyler Murray (NFL): £33.7m
56. Carlos Alcaraz (tennis): £33.5m
57. Jamal Murray (basketball): £32.5m
58. Ryan Garcia (boxing): £32.1m
59. Mike Trout (baseball): £32.1m
60. Donovan Mitchell (basketball): £32m
61. Rudy Gobert (basketball): £31.9m
62. Talor Gooch (golf): £31.9m
63. Jayson Tatum (basketball): £31.8m
64. Tyson Fury (boxing): £31.7m
65. Rashan Gary (NFL): £31.6m
66. Tobias Harris (basketball): £31.2m
67. Chris Paul (basketball): £30.5m
68. Ben Simmons (basketball): £30.4m
69. Anthony Rendon (baseball): £30.4m
70. Pascal Siakam (basketball): £30.1m
71. Russell Wilson (NFL): £30.1m
72. Sadio Mane (football): £30.1m
73. CJ McCollum (basketball): £30.1m
74. Jrue Holiday (basketball): £30m
75. Zion Williamson (basketball): £29.8m
76. Gerrit Cole (baseball): £27.7m
77. Corey Seager (baseball): £29.7m
78. Karl-Anthony Towns (basketball): £29.5m
79. Carlos Correa (baseball): £29.3m
80. Josh Allen (NFL): £29.3m
81. Kristaps Porzingis (basketball): £29.1m
82. Brandon Ingram (basketball): £28.6m
83. Riyad Mahrez (football): £28.5m
84. Robert Lewandowski (Football): £28.5m
85. Chris Lindstrom (NFL): £28.4m
86. Dustin Johnson (Golf): £28.3m
87. Khris Middleton (NBA): £28 million
88. Kevin de Bruyne (Football): £27.8m
89. Michael Porter Jr. (NBA): £26.9m
90. Orlando Brown Jr. (NFL): £26.8m
91. Gordon Hayward (basketball): £26.7m
92. Stephen Strasburg (baseball): £26.6m
93. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (basketball): £26.6m
94. Bryce Harper (baseball): £26.3m
95. Kirk Cousins (NFL): £26.2m
96. De'Aaron Fox (basketball): £26.1m
97. Miguel Cabrera (baseball): £26m
98. Bam Adebayo (basketball): £25.9m
99. Giancarlo Stanton (baseball): £25.8 million
100. Derek Carr (NFL): £25.8m