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.
– Ronaldo nets 2 to set WCQ goal-scoring record
– Cristiano Ronaldo football’s first billionaire player – report
– Ronaldo: Family ask me to stop, but I want 1,000 goals
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)
After benefiting from good fortune in 2024, Washington is among the NFL’s unluckiest teams in 2025, according to metrics compiled by an NFL data scientist.
Source link
Kiffin wanted to stay at Mississippi through the College Football Playoff even after taking the job at LSU. That only made sense on television.
Source link
Legendary England batter Geoffrey Boycott on Monday advised the Ben Stokes-led side to adopt a more strategic and thoughtful approach ahead of the second Ashes Test against Australia, scheduled for Thursday in Brisbane.
England suffered an agonising eight-wicket defeat in the series opener in Perth, which lasted less than two days, the first of which was dominated by the touring side as they had reduced the hosts to 123/9 after accumulating 172 all out.
The visitors now face another gruelling challenge in the blockbuster series as they take on the Baggy Greens in a pink-ball Test, in which the hosts boast a dominant record, having lost just one out of their previous 14 appearances, but Boycott, who has won Ashes both in England and Australia, believes that the Three Lions can win the upcoming game by adopting a calculated strategy.
He, however, warned England batters of self-destruction, advising them to “use their brains” and decide whether to attack or hold back after analysing the situation.
“But it doesn’t help our chances of success if Ben Stokes keeps encouraging our batsmen to attack, attack with one finger hovering over the self-destruct button,” Boycott wrote in his Daily Telegraph column.
“Nobody is asking the players to stop being positive because they have given us some marvellous, thrilling and entertaining cricket. All we ask is for them to use their brains and realise there are times when they should throttle back and be aware of situations and bat accordingly,” he added.
Boycott, who represented England in 108 Tests and 36 ODIs, also slammed Stokes for his comments in which he referred to former cricketers as “has-beens” but expressed satisfaction over the all-rounder’s partial apology.
“To call past players ‘has-beens’ was disrespectful, especially as some of those ‘has-beens’ played in teams that won the Ashes in England and Australia,” Boycott wrote.
“I am glad Ben has half apologised, saying it was a slip of the tongue, because none of this team has won the Ashes in Australia. Get the job done, because then you don’t need to say anything and you can bask in all the glory coming your way.”
Khaite sets sights on Japan with new joint venture
The 171 Very Best Cyber Monday Deals on Gear We Loved Testing
‘Stranger Things’ Jamie Campbell Bower on Vecna transformation: ‘Hideous’
-
Sports1 week agoWATCH: Ronaldo scores spectacular bicycle kick
-
Entertainment1 week agoWelcome to Derry’ episode 5 delivers shocking twist
-
Politics1 week agoWashington and Kyiv Stress Any Peace Deal Must Fully Respect Ukraine’s Sovereignty
-
Business1 week agoKey economic data and trends that will shape Rachel Reeves’ Budget
-
Politics1 week ago53,000 Sikhs vote in Ottawa Khalistan Referendum amid Carney-Modi trade talks scrutiny
-
Tech6 days agoWake Up—the Best Black Friday Mattress Sales Are Here
-
Fashion1 week agoCanada’s Lululemon unveils team Canada kit for Milano Cortina 2026
-
Tech1 day agoGet Your Steps In From Your Home Office With This Walking Pad—On Sale This Week