Cristiano Ronaldo is the world's highest-paid athlete earnings of $88 million over the past 12 months from salary, bonuses and endorsements according to Forbes Magazine. Two athletes have dominated the top of the annual list for the past decade and a half, Tiger Woods, which has been in No. 1 spot for 12 times and Floyd Mayweather that has been there in the top three for the past four years.
Ronaldo that just won the 2016 Champions League with Real Madrid against Athletico Madrid in Milan got to the top and making it the first time since 2000 that a new person apart from Tiger Woods who is hampered by injuries and runs of poor form and Floyd Mayweather who hanged up his gloves.
Ronaldo’s Real Madrid contract is worth more than $50 million a year in salary and bonus and runs through 2018. He triggered one of those seven-figure bonuses by leading Real to the Champions League title when he found the back of the net on the clinching penalty kick.
The three-time FIFA player of the year is a marketing juggernaut earning $32 million off the pitch by our count. He kicked off a contract extension with Nike last year worth $13 million a year and he has his own line of suits, cologne, shirts, shoes, underwear, hotels (under construction) and as well as other endorsements like Tag Heuer, Pokerstars, Clear Shampoo and many more.
His closest rival Lionel Messi ranked No. 2 with earnings of $81.4 million, which comes across the bonuses earned from Barcelona, endorsements and personal sponsorship. Messi that won his fifth FIFA Player of the year award in January earned $28 million from sponsors.
The award that runs within a year between June 1 of last year to June 1 of this year 2016
The Forbes figures include all salaries, prize money and bonuses paid out between June 1 last year and the same date in 2016.
The magazine says its 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."
Last year, leader Mayweather raked in $300m, almost double the tally of second-placed Pacquiao, the man he defeated in Las Vegas.
That put him at the summit of the Forbes list for the third time in four years, with his huge earnings dwarfing the previous record set by Woods, who banked $115m back in 2008.
The World’s Top 10 Highest-Paid Athletes:
| Rank | Athlete | Sport | Salary ($mil) | Endorsements ($mil) | Total Earnings ($mil) |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Soccer | $56 | $32 | $88.0 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Soccer | 53.4 | 28 | 81.4 |
| 3 | LeBron James | Basketball | 23.2 | 54 | 77.2 |
| 4 | Roger Federer | Tennis | 7.8 | 60 | 67.8 |
| 5 | Kevin Durant | Basketball | 20.2 | 36 | 56.2 |
| 6 | Novak Djokovic | Tennis | 21.8 | 34 | 55.8 |
| 7 | Cam Newton | Football | 41.1 | 12 | 53.1 |
| 8 | Phil Mickelson | Golf | 2.9 | 50 | 52.9 |
| 9 | Jordan Spieth | Golf | 20.8 | 32 | 52.8 |
| 10 | Kobe Bryant | Basketball | 25 | 25 | 50.0 |
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