Sports
Ronaldo tops highest-paid list; Yamal at No. 10
Cristiano Ronaldo has again been named the highest-paid player in the world, while Barcelona‘s phenom Lamine Yamal is on the list of the top 10, according to Forbes.
The American business magazine released its annual report of the world’s 10 highest earners.
The Forbes ranking reflects on-field earnings estimates for the 2025-26 season, including base salaries, bonuses and, club-based image rights agreements.
Ronaldo, 40, who on June signed a new two-year deal with Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr, is projected to claim $280 million in total earnings over the coming year before taxes and agents’ fees.
The Portugal captain, who recently declared he has no plans to retire as he is “still producing good things,” will earn $230m from Al Nassr during the 2025-26 season plus $50m in off-field earnings.
Ronaldo, who has over 1 billion total followers across his various social media accounts, leads the Forbes list for the sixth time in the last decade.
Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi is the only MLS representative on the list and is a distant second to Ronaldo.
The Argentina captain’s projected total income for 2025 is $130 million, with a whopping $70m coming from off-field earnings. Messi, 38, has endorsement deals with Adidas, Lay’s and Mastercard, among others.
Yamal, who inherited Barcelona’s iconic No. 10 shirt once worn by Messi, is the first 18-year-old to enter Forbes’ soccer list in its 22-year history.
The Spain international put pen to paper on a 10-year contract with Barcelona in May. He completes the ranking with expected earnings of $43m.
Karim Benzema has climbed to third place, with the Al-Ittihad captain estimated to make around $100m on the pitch and around $4m off it.
Manchester City‘s Erling Haaland is one of two Premier League players included. The Norwegian star’s estimated $80m earnings, some of which comes from his lucrative endorsement deal with Nike, place him at No. 5 while Liverpool‘s Mohamed Salah, who signed a two-year deal to remain at Anfield this summer, is seventh at $55m.
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LaLiga have four players in the top 10, with Real Madrid‘s Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham fourth ($95m), sixth ($60m) and ninth ($44m), respectively.
Ronaldo’s Al Nassr teammate Sadio Mané is No. 8, expected to get $54m.
In total, the 10 highest paid players are set to collect record earnings worth $945 million this season, down nearly 4% from last year’s $983m.
Brazilian forward Neymar was No. 3 on last year’s list but has fallen out of the ranking since leaving Al Hilal earlier this year to rejoin boyhood club Santos.
Forbes’ top 10 high-paid players 2025:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – $280m (On-field: $230m, off-field: $50m)
2. Lionel Messi – $130m (On-field: $60m, off-field: $70m)
3. Karim Benzema – $104m (On-field: $100m, off-field: $4m)
4. Kylian Mbappé – $95m (On-field: $70m, off-field: $25m)
5. Erling Haaland – $80m (On-field: $60m, off-field: $20m)
6. Vinícius Júnior – $60m (On-field: $40m, off-field: $20m)
7. Mohamed Salah – $55m (On-field: $35m, off-field: $20m)
8. Sadio Mané – $54m (On-field: $50m, off-field: $4m)
9. Jude Bellingham – $44m (On-field: $29m, off-field: $15m)
10. Lamine Yamal – $43m (On-field: $33m, off-field: $10m)
Sports
Russell Wilson escalates feud with Sean Payton, labels Broncos coach ‘classless’
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Russell Wilson and Sean Payton spent just one NFL season together, but tension lingered after a rocky year.
And it appears the tension that built up from that tumultuous stretch continues to linger.
Wilson’s interview on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast, recorded before last month’s Super Bowl between Seattle and New England, recently resurfaced.
In the interview, Wilson doubled down on his October comment labeling Payton “classless,” saying he felt slighted by his former coach’s remarks.
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Head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos talks to quarterback Russell Wilson on the sideline during an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium Aug. 11, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
“[When] you’ve been on the same side or this and that, and I got the same amount of rings as you got, meaning Sean, right?” said Wilson, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks as Payton did coaching for the New Orleans Saints.
“I got a lot of respect for him as a play-caller, this and that, but to take a shot, I don’t like. I don’t think it’s necessary, you know, I mean, especially when I’m not even on your own team anymore. So, for me, there’s a point in time where you have to, I’ve realized, I’ve stayed quiet for so long. There’s a there’s a time and place where I’m not.
“I know who I am as a competitor, as a warrior, as a champion, too, and, you know, I’ve beaten Sean, too. You know, like we’ve been on the same place and the same thing. And so, it’s not a matter of disrespect. Just don’t disrespect me.”

Sean Payton and Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos during an a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Empower Field at Mile High Nov. 19, 2023, in Denver, Colo. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
After a rocky one-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, Wilson joined the New York Giants last offseason. However, he was relegated to a backup role after just three games.
Rookie Jaxson Dart quickly showed promise once he had the chance to start, but his season was briefly derailed by injury. Jameis Winston — not Wilson — stepped in for Dart in a handful of games. Dart threw three touchdowns in a Week 7 matchup with the Broncos, nearly pulling off an upset in what was eventually a close loss.
After the game, Payton said Dart provided a “spark” to the Giants’ offense.
“I was talking to [Giants owner] John Mara not too long ago, and I said, ‘We were hoping that that change would have happened long after our game,'” Payton said.

The New York Giants’ Russell Wilson attempts to escape a sack by Dallas Cowboys defensive end James Houston (53) in the first half of a game Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Payton also said the Broncos would have faced less of a challenge had Wilson been under center.
“Classless … but not surprised,” Wilson responded in a social media post. “Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later though the media.”
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Despite last season’s struggles and chatter about his football future, Wilson does not appear ready to call it quits in 2026.
“I wanna play a few more years for sure,” he said. “I think, for me, I’ve always had the vision of getting to 40, at least. I think the game is different. Quarterbacks, we get hit. It’s not, you know, we get hit hard, but … there’s certain rules. I mean, back in the day when I started, bro, it was you just get [clobbered].
“I mean, so I feel like the game allows you to, you know, live a little longer, I guess. I feel healthy. I feel great. But I think, more than anything else is, do you love the game? Do you love studying? Do you love the passion for it all? Do you love the process? Do you love the practice? Do you love — everybody loves the winning part of it, but it’s process. There’s a journey that you got to be obsessed with. And that part I’m obsessed with.”
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Sports
Jayson Tatum, 10 months after Achilles injury, expected to return to Celtics Friday vs Mavericks: report
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Jayson Tatum’s return to an NBA court appears to be coming much sooner than anyone expected.
The Boston Celtics superstar could be suiting up as early as Friday, which marks nearly 10 months since he tore an Achilles against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, per ESPN.
The Celtics will face Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks Friday at TD Garden, and Tatum is expected to be out there with his teammates for the first time since his injury.
Tatum was officially listed as questionable on the Celtics’ injury report.
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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum applauds from the bench in the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden March 4, 2026. (Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe)
Brad Stevens, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, noted that his star guard wouldn’t be cleared until he was definitely ready to play, both physically and mentally.
That’s especially the case considering the Celtics don’t need Tatum to rush back. They’re 41-21, which gives them the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Tatum also noted he would want to return for a home game.
Boston has had players stepping up in the absence of Tatum, including his counterpart Jaylen Brown. Brown has taken on the scoring load, averaging 28.9 points per game with 7.2 rebounds and five assists.
Derrick White has added 17.3 points per game, while doing work on the defensive end with 1.2 steals.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum walks off the court after Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. (Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe)
And the Celtics have had Payton Pritchard (16.8 points, 5.3 assists) and Anfernee Simons (14.2 points) helping the team every night.
The 28-year-old Tatum returning is nothing short of remarkable considering the average window for Achilles rehab is 9-12 months, and it’s usually on the later end of the timeline.
As Tatum looks to return, he was well aware of how good his team has been in his absence. He has been spotted on the bench cheering his teammates on all season, and he wants to seamlessly work his way back into the rotation.

Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena Jan. 19, 2026, in Detroit. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
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“I’m just hyper aware of what’s going on. I think it would just stem from that,” he said, according to NBA.com. “Obviously, I know what I bring to the table and bring to the team. But I’m also aware that these guys have been playing extremely well.”
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Sports
Brazilian player Marques banned 12 games for sexism toward ref
SAO PAULO — A Brazilian sports court said on Thursday it suspended a defender of top-flight club Red Bull Bragantino for 12 matches because of sexist remarks he made about a female referee after a Sao Paulo state league game.
Defender Gustavo Marques was also fined in 30,000 Brazilian reais ($5,700) for his comments about referee Daiane Muniz after Bragantino lost 2-1 to Sao Paulo in a Feb. 21 quarterfinal of a state-level tournament.
The suspension is valid for all competitions organized by the Sao Paulo state soccer federation, but does not stop Marques from playing national-level competitions like the Brazilian league or the Brazilian Cup.
“It was our dream to reach the semifinal or even the final, but she killed our game. I think the Sao Paulo state’s soccer federation has to look at matches of this importance and not give it to a woman,” Marques had said in a post-match interview to TNT Brazil. “It is no good for us to play against Sao Paulo, Palmeiras, Corinthians, and they put a woman to referee a match of this importance.”
Later he apologized on his social media channels.
“I was nervous and I said things I shouldn’t have. I talked to Daiane, apologized to her too. She had an assistant with her, I asked her for her forgiveness too for she is also a woman. I was wrong for saying it,” the 24-year-old defender said.
“My wife criticized what I said, my mom did too. I am being a man and a human being by coming here to ask forgiveness for what I said,” he added.
Neither Marques nor Bragantino commented on the ruling. Local media reported the club fined the defender 50% of his wages this month.
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