Sorry, Floyd “Money” Mayweather, it looks like you’re no longer the highest-paid athlete in the world.
According to Forbes’ annual list, Cristiano Ronaldo has taken the No. 1 spot for 2016, earning approximately $88 million within the last year. His salary, bonuses, and high-profile endorsement deals with giants like Nike, Tag Heuer, and Herbalife have moved the Real Madrid forward up two spots from last year. Fellow soccer player Lionel Messi landed at No. 2 with $84.1 million—a chunk of which also comes from endorsement deals with brands like adidas, Pepsi, and Gillette.
This is a noticeable change from previous lists, which were typically dominated by Tiger Woods and Mayweather. But now that Woods is struggling with injuries and Mayweather has retired, Ronaldo and Messi are sitting comfortably at the top.
Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James landed at No. 3 with earnings of $77.2 million, followed by tennis player Roger Federer with $67.8 million, and OKC’s Kevin Durant with $56.2 million.
Forbes’ earning figures include salaries, prize money, and bonuses paid out between June 1 of 2015 and June 1 of this year. The publication says its final calculations are "based on conversations with dozens of industry insiders" and adds: "We do not deduct for taxes or agents' fees, and we do not include investment income."
The list goes as follows:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
2. Lionel Messi
3. LeBron James
4. Roger Federer
5. Kevin Durant
6. Novak Djokovic
7. Cam Newton
8. Phil Mickelson
9. Jordan Spieth
10. Kobe Bryant
11. Lewis Hamilton
12. Tiger Woods
13. Eli Manning
14. Joe Flacco
15. Tom Brady
16. Floyd Mayweather
17. Rory McIlroy
18. Russell Wislon
19. Sebastian Vettel
20. Phillip Rivers
21. Rafeal Nadal
21. (tie) Neymar
23. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
24. Fenando Alonso
25.Gareth Bale
26. Marcell Dareus
27. Peyton Manning
28. Derrick Rose
29. Kei Nishikori
30. A.J. Green
To see the full 100 list, head to Forbes’ website.
