Forbes Lists Cristiano Ronaldo As 2016’s Highest-Earning Athlete In The World – blogged by @LoveRubyWoo

Each year, Forbes Magazine names the world’s highest earning athletes, an elite group made up of the wealthiest men and women across every major sport. The number one spot has previously been dominated by the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Tiger Woods, but this year, a new face has emerged as the world’s top-earning athlete.

On top of Forbes’ list this year is Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese soccer star raked in $88 million over the past twelve months. Between the contract he has with his team, his huge deals with Nike, Tag Heuer, and Herbalife, and his own men’s clothing and cologne lines, it’s no wonder he’s sitting pretty at the top.   

Joining him on the list at number 2 is another international soccer superstar, Lionel Messi. The 28-year-old Argentine player made $81.4 million over the last year. Similar to Ronaldo, Messi has sponsorships and endorsements with huge companies, including Adidas, PepsiCo and Gillette, on top of his contract with Barcelona. Add all of it together and it puts him right behind his Real Madrid rival on Forbes’ list.

NBA star LeBron James comes in at number 3, earning $77.2 million over the past twelve months. The Cavaliers forward made some extra money this year when he made his big acting debut in the comedy Trainwreck. Additionally, he recently signed a lifetime contract with Nike worth over $1 billion, so it won’t be surprising if he takes over the top spot in the coming years. 

See who else made the list this year:

4. Roger Federer – $67.8 million

5. Kevin Durant – $56.2 million

6. Novak Djokovic – $55.8 million

7. Cam Newton – $53.1 million

8. Phil Mickelson – $52.9 million

9. Jordan Spieth – $52.8 million

10. Kobe Bryant – $50 million

11. Lewis Hamilton – $46 million

12. Tiger Woods – $45.3 million

13. Eli Manning – $45 million

14. Joe Flacco – $44.5 million

15. Tom Brady – $44.1 million

16. Floyd Mayweather – $44 million

17. Rory McIlroy – $42.6 million

18. Russell Wilson – $41.8 million

19. Sebastian Vettel – $41 million

20. Philip Rivers – $38 million

21. Rafael Nadal – $37.5 million

22. Neymar – $37.5 million

23. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – $37.4 million

24. Fernando Alonso – $36.5 million

25. Gareth Bale – $35.9 million

Now that’s baller!