Billionaire Ronaldo tops Forbes footballer rich list again

Paris: Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo once again topped the Forbes highest paid footballers list for the 2025 26 season, as one of three members of...

Paris: Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo once again topped the Forbes highest-paid footballers list for the 2025-26 season, as one of three members of the top 10 plying their trade in Saudi Arabia.

It is the sixth time in the last decade that Ronaldo has topped the Forbes list and comes just over a week after Bloomberg announced that the 40-year-old had become football's first billionaire.

With on- and off-field earnings of an estimated $280 million, Al Nassr's Ronaldo will earn more than double that of second-placed rival Lionel Messi, whose $130 million estimate is made up of more off-field earnings than those from playing for his American club Inter Miami.

Next up is French former Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benezema, who earns $104 million a year thanks to his huge contract at Saudis Al Ittihad.

The third member of the top 10 playing in Saudi Arabia is Senegalese forward Sadio Mane, a teammate of Ronaldo's who earns an estimated $54 million in eighth.