Overview
- Forbes published its 2026 rankings on Friday, May 22, 2026, estimating Cristiano Ronaldo earned more than $300 million in the 12 months ending May 1, 2026.
- Ronaldo's haul marks his fourth straight year at No. 1 and his sixth overall top finish, tying Michael Jordan and matching Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s Forbes-tracked active-athlete record.
- Forbes measured income between May 1, 2025 and May 1, 2026, separating on-field pay from off-field commercial income and reporting all figures gross without deducting taxes or agent fees.
- The published top 10 list includes Canelo Álvarez ($170M), Lionel Messi ($140M), LeBron James ($137.8M), Shohei Ohtani ($127.6M), Stephen Curry ($124.7M), Jon Rahm ($107M), Karim Benzema ($104M), Kevin Durant ($103.8M) and Lewis Hamilton ($100M).
- Forbes notes that large one-off commercial deals—including Saudi-backed club payments and modeled disbursements for LIV Golf guarantees—are reshaping which athletes lead earnings and could influence how sponsors and leagues allocate money going forward.