Ronaldo has overtaken Lionel Messi to claim back the record.
Cristiano Ronaldo is no stranger to making history and the Portuguese star has now earned himself another Guinness World Record.
The 38-year-old moved to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr mid-way through last season and earned a staggering £107.5 million in the 12 months leading up to May 1st, 2023.
His earnings in this time saw him rank first on Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes in 2023 and he has now been honoured by the Guinness World Records for being the top-earning sportsperson on the planet.
It’s the first time since 2017 that Ronaldo has claimed the honour of the highest-earning athlete and the third time in his distinguished career.
The forward also claims the title back from long-term rival Lionel Messi, who had previously clinched the top spot courtesy of his mega-money PSG contract and endorsements, which saw him net around £103 million.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr contract broken down
Forbes breaks down the figures for each individual athlete into on-field and off-field earnings.
The on-field earnings figures include salaries, prize money and bonuses, while the off-field earnings are estimates of sponsorship deals, appearance fees, memorabilia and licensing income, as well as cash returns from any businesses in which the athlete has a significant interest.
Ronaldo’s record-breaking income is comprised of £35m in on-field earnings and £68.5m in off-field revenue.
After controversially falling out of favour at Manchester United at the end of 2022, Ronaldo signed for Al-Nassr in January 2023, where he doubled his salary to an estimated £57m per year.
On top of this, his endorsements with the likes of Armani, TAG Heuer and Herbalife, have meant the Portuguese forward has pocketed a crazy amount in the last year.
Will Ronaldo maintain top spot?
Second and third in the list of highest-paid athletes were Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Messi came in second with $130 million, split evenly between $65 million in on-field earnings and $65 million in off-field earnings.
Mbappé’s overall revenue amounted to $120 million, with $100m of this coming from on-field earnings.
But with Messi recently signing for Inter Miami in the MLS, there’s a chance the Argentine star could usurp Ronaldo once again.
Messi’s Inter Miami contract is believed to be worth between $50 to $60 million per year and he is likely to gain even more endorsements, having moved over to the US.
Equally, with Mbappe linked with a transfer to Real Madrid, PSG may have to offer the Frenchman an even more lucrative contract if they want to tempt him to stay.
Saudi Pro League continuing to strengthen
With Ronaldo moving to Saudi Arabia in January, a number of high-profile players have now followed suit.
Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy and Ruben Neves are just some of the superstars who have swapped European football for the Middle East.
Liverpool hero Jordan Henderson has also been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia recently and looks set to join former teammate Steven Gerrard at Al-Ittifaq.
But while a plethora of talented players have accepted ludicrous contracts to join the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo’s side, Al-Nassr, will not be making any more signings.
That’s because they’ve been banned from buying players due to outstanding debts that they owe.
Find out more about their transfer ban here.
Source: givemesport.com
