Career
Football Icon Cristiano Ronaldo is Forbes’ Highest-Paid Athlete of 2016
MILAN, ITALY – MAY 28: Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid kisses the trophy following his team’s victory in a penalty shootout during the UEFA Champions League final match between Real Madrid and Club Atletico de Madrid at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 28, 2016 in Milan, Italy.
American business magazine Forbes, has listed top footballer Cristiano Ronaldo as the highest-paid athlete in the world.
Ronaldo who just won the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid beat boxer Floyd Mayweather and golfer Tiger Woods to clinch the top spot.
It is the first time since 2000 that either Woods – who dropped to 12th after a wretched run of poor form and injury problems – or Mayweather (16th) are not on top of the list.
Ronaldo who earned $88m over the past 12 months from salary, bonuses and endorsements, is only the second team athlete after Michael Jordan to rank as the top-paid since Forbes began tracking athlete earnings in 1990.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi earned $81.4m this year to rank second on the list.
NBA’s Lebron James ranked third with total earnings of $77.2m while Roger Federer clinched the fourth position with $67.8m.
Serena Williams (40th) earned $28.9m making her the world’s highest-paid female athlete over that span, unseating Maria Sharapova (88th) who had held the title the past 11 years.
See the full list HERE.
Photo Credit: Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
