Let’s take a look at the four footballers who have made it to the list of the top 25 highest-paid athletes of all time.
Cristiano Ronaldo (position – 5)
Ranking fifth in the list, Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the highest-paid footballer of all time with earnings of $1.24 billion. The Portuguese star has established himself as one of the greatest players of all time and in terms of earnings, he is also second to none. One of the big reasons is his transfer to the Red Devils in the summer. The 36-year-old would earn around $125 million in his second spell at Old Trafford with $70million coming from salary and bonus. During his time at Juventus, he was their highest-paid player by a big margin.
Earnings: $1.24 billion
Lionel Messi (position – 8)
The next footballer to follow Ronaldo in the top-10 list is his arch-rival, Lionel Messi. Alongside the Portuguese ace, Messi has been the household name in football for more than a decade. In his last contract at Barcelona, the Argentine’s salary was reported to be the highest of all the players at that time. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner moved to Paris Saint Germain last summer on a free transfer.
Earnings: $1.14 billion
David Beckham (position – 12)
Former England legend David Beckham has been ranked 12 in the list ahead of Basketball legends Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Beckham, who currently owns MLS club Inter Miami, still remains a favourite among the fans and his stock hasn’t gone down despite retiring from football in 2013.
Earnings: $2.1 billion
Neymar (position-21)
Neymar is one of the few youngest athletes to feature on the list. The Brazilian superstar created huge waves following his world-record transfer from Barcelona to PSG years ago. At the French Capital, the 29-year-old is reportedly earning around $1.176m per week, the highest of all the PSG players.
Earnings: $615 million
Top 25 highest paid athletes of all time
| Rank | Athletes | Sport | IAE | NIAE | |
| 1. | Michael Jordan | Basketball | $2.62B | $2.05B | |
| 2. | Tiger Woods | Golf | $2.1B | $1.66B | |
| 3. | Arnold Palmer | Golf | $1.5B | $885M | |
| 4. | Jack Nicklaus | Golf | $1.38B | $830M | |
| 5. | Cristiano Ronaldo | Football | $1.24B | $1.12B | |
| 6. | Floyd Mayweather | Boxing | $1.2B | $1.08B | |
| 7. | LeBron James | Basketball | $1.17B | $1.05B | |
| 8. | Lionel Messi | Football | $1.14B | $1.05B | |
| 9. | Michael Schumacher | Motorsport | $1.13B | $780M | |
| 10. | Roger Federer | Tennis | $1.12B | $1B | |
| 11. | Phil Mickelson | Golf | $1.08B | $885M | |
| 12. | David Beckham | Football | $1.05B | $880M | |
| 13. | Kobe Bryant | Basketball | $930M | $750M | |
| 14. | Shaquille O’Neal | Basketball | $870M | $645M | |
| 15. | Greg Norman | Golf | $815M | $555M | |
| 16. | Mike Tyson | Boxing | $775M | $445M | |
| 17. | Alex Rodriguez | Baseball | $650M | $515M | |
| 18. | Manny Pacquiao | Boxing | $630M | $550M | |
| 19. | Kevin Durant | Basketball | $625M | $580M | |
| 20. | Lewis Hamilton | Motorsport | $620M | $560M | |
| 21. | Neymar | Football | $615M | $580M | |
| 22. | Jeff Gordon | Motorsport | $595M | $450M | |
| 23. | Oscar de la Hoya | Boxing | $580M | $405M | |
| 24. | Peyton Manning | American Football | $570M | $460M | |
| 25. | Derek Jeter | Baseball | $555M | $435M |
