Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi among five soccer players in top 10 on list of 100 highest-paid athletes in the world

The Sportico highest-paid athletes in spots list featured a strong soccer contingent, with 12 total and five of the top 10 participating in the sport. Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo leads the way, pulling in $260 million annually. Lionel Messi, of Inter Miami, comes in at No.4, with $135 million of total earnings. Neymar (No.6), Karim Benzema (No.8) and Kylian Mbappe (No.9) round out the top 10. There are no women athletes or American soccer players on the list.

The top 100 athletes earned just over $6 billion last year, a rise of 14 percent from the previous 12 months. A quarter of the earnings came from endorsements.

The list includes a strong presence from the emerging Saudi Pro League. Of the 12 soccer players on the list, five either played or currently play in the Middle East's top division. Al-Nassr and Real Madrid are the two clubs that appear the most often, with two players apiece in the ranking.

Ronaldo has consistently been among the top earners in the world. He has made over $100m for eight straight years, and more than $200m for two years in a row. Messi pulled in the most from his endorsements, with $75m going into his bank account from various deals.

Messi's Inter play in their first competitive fixture of 2025 when they travel to Sporting KC on Feb. 18. Ronaldo's Al-Nassr plays in the AFC Champions League Monday.