A Bright look at the 10 highest-paid athletes in the world, where Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are on top
The list of the most famous athletes in the world is dominated by footballers, and no athlete is more famous than Cristiano Ronaldo.
Forbes is at it again.
The business magazine’s annual list of the top10 most valuable athletes, in terms of their brand value, has been released and it makes for fascinating reading – providing great insight into the world of sports business and how athletes help drive value for brands around the world.
Also Read: Who are the highest paid players in world football in 2016-17 season?
Cristiano Ronaldo was busy in scripting history. The last 12 months have probably been the best in the Real Madrid superstar’s entire career. It all started with winning La Undecima with Los Blancos – their 11th European title.
List of the highest-paid athletes in the year 2017:
| Rank | Name | Sport | Nation | Total | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Football |  Portugal |
$93 million | $58 million | $35 million |
| 2 | LeBron James | Basketball |  United States |
$86.2 million | $31.2 million | $55 million |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | Football |  Argentina |
$80 million | $53 million | $27 million |
| 4 | Roger Federer | Tennis |  Switzerland |
$64 million | $6 million | $58 million |
| 5 | Kevin Durant | Basketball | United States |
$60.6 million | $26.6 million | $34 million |
| 6 | Andrew Luck | American football | United States |
$50 million | $47 million | $3 million |
| 6 | Rory McIlroy | Golf |  Northe Ireland |
$50 million | $16 million | $34 million |
| 8 | Stephen Curry | Basketball | United States |
$47.3 million | $12.3 million | $35 million |
| 9 | James Harden | Basketball | United States |
$46.6 million | $26.6 million | $20 million |
| 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Auto racing |  England |
$46 million | $38 million | $8 million |
While scripting history, Ronaldo also raked in a whooping $93 million – making him the highest-paid athlete in the world, for the second consecutive year.
All of this, along with his enormous fan following, saw the Argentine rake in $80 million during the past 12 months.
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