The 10 highest-paid athletes in the world: Ronaldo is the first in the gap, and Messi is the second place

According to data from the Sun, today we will introduce the 10 highest-paid athletes in the world in 2024. In this list, football accounts for half of the market, and five football superstars are shortlisted. Among them, Ronaldo ranked first in the fault, while Messi ranked third.

No. 10: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is the highest-paid NFL player, and he has squeezed into the top ten on the list with a huge contract.

28-year-old signed a five-year contract in the summer of 2023, and his salary increased year by year.

9th place: Curry, 75.38 million pounds

Curry has almost changed the sport of basketball with his own strength. His stable three-point shooting ability has led the rise of the trend of long-range investment in recent years.

Although Curry is 37 years old, his form is still enough to support his high salary and completed the contract renewal last year, extending his contract to the 2026/27 season. In addition to salary income, Curry holds a huge endorsement agreement with Under Armour. In addition to basic fees, the agreement also includes dividends for the company's shares.

8th place: Benzema, 78.44 million pounds

Benzema's ability to enter the top ten is mainly due to the huge investments in the Saudi professional league in recent years. He transferred to Jeddah United in 2023 and signed a huge three-year contract.

7th place: Neymar, 79.92 million

Neymar left Paris Saint-Germain in 2023 to join Saudi Riyadh Crescent and signed a record contract, but the injury troubles caused him to play only 7 games in two years.

Then he returned to Brazil to join the parent team Santos, where he regained a stable chance to play. Despite his salary shrinking, he still ranks seventh.

No. 6: Mbappe, 81.4 million pounds

26-year-old Mbappe is the youngest player on the list. His huge signing fee and sponsorship contract make up for the initial salary cut he accepted when joining Real Madrid. If his development goes smoothly in Real Madrid, his income will continue to grow.

No. 5: Antetokounmpo, more than half of the revenue of "Antetokounmpo" in the past year came from off-court endorsements, including the sneaker series that cooperated with Nike. Antetokounmpo, 30, is still in full swing, and was selected as the All-Star for the ninth consecutive time last year.

No. 4: James, £94.87 million

James has been one of the most dazzling stars in the NBA for the past two decades, and he is also the highest-ranked basketball superstar on the list. Last year, James, 40, executed an extension of a contract of nearly £40 million.

Similar to Curry, James has pushed up his overall value by holding shares in his partner companies, and his net assets have now exceeded 770 million pounds.

No. 3: Messi, 99.9 million pounds

Messi's time at Paris Saint-Germain was relatively dull, and he won both fame and fortune after joining Miami International in the United States. Like Antetokounmpo, Messi's off-court income is higher than his on-court salary, which is due to his personal influence.

No. 2: Joan Ram, 161.32 million

Ram is the only golfer on the list. As the number one star of Saudi-backed LIV Golf, Ram serves as the captain of Legion XIII in this event. Most of his income comes from the competition prize money, especially the generous prize pool of LIV events.

No. 1: Ronaldo, with 192.4 million pounds

Royce ranked first with his sky-high contract winning in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, confirming his historical commercial value.

He has been at the peak of football since his debut in 2002 and has been recognized as the greatest scorer in history. He is currently moving towards a career 1,000-goal milestone.