Highest paid athletes 2024: Cristiano Ronaldo untouchable, Patrick Mahomes overtaken by NFL rivals
No one can touch Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to making money.

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Patrick Mahomes (right).LAPRESSE
Every year, Forbes releases a list of the professional athletes that are making the most money throughout the world. And it seems like every year, Cristiano Ronaldo comes in at No. 1.
The Portuguese soccer legend continues to rack up the dough, and he’ll continue to dominate the list as long as he stays at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. It’s no surprise that a Saudi-funded athlete comes in at No. 2, but it may be a shock to some as for who it is.
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These are the Top 10 highest-paid athletes in the world in 2024.
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Cristiano Ronaldo: $260 million total earnings
Jon Rahm: $218 million total earnings
Lionel Messi: $135 million total earnings
LeBron James: $128.2 million total earnings
Giannis Antetokounmpo: $111 million total earnings
Kylian Mbappe: $110 million total earnings
Neymar: $108 million total earnings
Karim Benzema: $106 million total earnings
Stephen Curry: $102 million total earnings
Lamar Jackson: $100.5 million total earnings
That makes it five soccer players in the Top 10, three NBA players, one golfer and one NFL star.
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If we expand to the Top 15, we get our first MLB player and boxer. As well as two more NFL players and one more NBA player.
Joe Burrow: $100 million total earnings
Kevin Durant: $93.3 million total earnings
Shohei Ohtani: $85.3 million total earnings
Canelo Alvarez: $85 million total earnings
Patrick Mahomes: $84.4 million total earnings
Mahomes used to be higher on this list in previous years, but some younger quarterbacks have gotten huge contract extensions as the NFL salary cap has increased. Mahomes is under contract until 2032, but he’s likely to ask for and receive a lofty extension at some point within the next few seasons.