The rumor is that Soccer may have the guy that reigns supreme globally, but nobody is putting more players near the top of the earning pyramid than basketball. Hmmmmm could that be actually correct? Well truth is that the Global soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo scored the top spot for the second straight year on Forbes’ annual look at the world’s highest-paid athletes. Ronaldo banked $93 million in salary from Real Madrid, as well as his endorsement partners.
LeBron James is fighting an uphill battle against the Golden State Warriors, but there are few peers left to stand in his way in the financial sector. The NBA's best player just came in at No. 3 on the annual Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes, just behind the world's top earner, Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.
He may not be the sports world's cash king, but finishing third to Ronaldo and secont to Messi is no small feat for LeBron. In salary/winnings alone, the soccer star makes $61.7 million a year, a figure that eclipses the combined earnings of 95 of the 100 athletes listed. Only four people—LeBron, Lionel Messi, Roger Federer, and Kevin Durant—were able to match or exceed Ronaldo's salary with their combination of salary and endorsements.
Before Ronaldo, the best-paid sports star was either Tiger Woods or Floyd Mayweather for 15 straight years. Woods ranks No. 17 this year, while Mayweather did not make the cut with no fights over the last 12 months (a proposed Mayweather-Conor McGregor blockbuster would likely catapult Mayweather back to the top).
