Cristiano Ronaldo is 40. Most elite football players have been long retired when they reach that age, or moved to less demanding and less wealthy leagues, in concordance with their diminishing sporting returns. But not CR7. The Portuguese not only still plays, but he is the best paid athlete in the world... by far.
Forbes has published its annual list for the highest-paid athletes, and Cristiano Ronaldo once again tops the list for the third year in a row. And his earnings are outstanding: $275m in total, (£206.6m, €245m). $15m more than last year, when he also topped the list.
That's how much Saudi side Al Nassr values the Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United legend, with the majority of the money coming from on-field earnings ($225m). Of course, he also makes a lot of money from lucrative sponsorship deals.
The best paid athletes come from Saudi Pro League, MSL, NBA, NFL, MLB, and boxing
Ronaldo's earnings are nearly twice as much as the second highest paid athlete, NBA star Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), whose annual earnings were about $156m (£117.2m, €139m). Third is former boxer