It’s that time of year again! Forbes® has released its highest-paid athlete’s list and #1 may surprise you! No, it’s not Tiger Woods. Nor Floyd Mayweather. It’s soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo!
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According to Forbes writer, Kurt Badenhausen, Ronaldo is only the second team athlete after Michael Jordan to rank as the top-paid since Forbes began tracking athlete earnings in 1990. Tiger Woods has held the spot 12 times, and Mayweather has ranked first 3 out of the past 4 years. More “team” athletes have graced this list than ever before—below is a roundup of the top 10—based on total earnings.
- Cristiano Ronaldo—$88 mil
- Lionel Messi—$81.4 mil
- LeBron James—$77.2 mil
- Roger Federer—$67.8 mil
- Kevin Durant—$56.2 mil
- Novak Djokovic—$55.8 mil
- Cam Newton—$53.1 mil
- Phil Mickelson—$52.9 mil
- Jordan Spieth—$52.8 mil
- Kobe Bryant—$50 mil
Sadly, this may be the last year Kobe Bryant makes the top 10 list, as he retired this past season. Equally as shocking is the lack of diversity on this list. Only two female athletes make the cut, Serena Williams comes in at #40—with $28.9 mil—and Maria Sharapova comes in at #88—with $21.9 mil. You can view the fill list here.