DeskReport
Cristiano Ronaldo may not have an easier task than setting records. Not only in football, but he is also setting records in other fields. The Portuguese forward has become the highest-earning athlete for three consecutive years.
The US business magazine Forbes yesterday made a list of athletes based on income. Forbes made this list based on all sources of income including players’ salaries, bonuses, sponsorships, social media. In the latest updated list, Ronaldo topped the list with an income of 275 million US dollars. In Bangladeshi currency, that is about 33.4 billion taka. The Portuguese forward earned this amount in the last one year. Ronaldo is the highest-earning athlete five times in total, including hat-tricks.
According to Forbes, American basketball player Stephen Curry is the second highest-earning athlete in the list of 2025. He earned $156 million in the last year (1894 crore 59 lakh taka). Tyson Fury and Dak Prescott, who are in third and fourth place, have incomes of 1773 crore 14 lakh taka and 1663 crore 84 lakh taka. And Lionel Messi, who is so compared to Ronaldo, is ranked fifth on the Forbes list. Messi earned 1639 crore 26 lakh taka in the last year.
After two decades at Barcelona, Messi moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2021. However, the PSG environment became toxic for Messi in 2023. In July of that year (2023), he joined Inter Miami in the United States. After joining, he signed a contract with the famous technology company Apple. Messi’s contract with sportswear manufacturer Adidas is long-term. However, Messi’s income has not increased much in the last one year. He was third in 2024, earning 1639 crore 26 lakh taka.
Despite not increasing his income, Messi won two major titles last year. He won the Supporters’ Shield in 2024 with Inter Miami. And he was part of the Argentina team that won the 2024 Copa America by defeating Chile. And while Ronaldo’s income has increased, his performance on the field has been lacking. After joining Al Nasr in 2023, he has not won anything other than the Arab Club Champions Cup. His chances of winning the Saudi Pro League in the 2024-25 season have also been effectively over. Ronaldo’s goals in club and international football total 934. The way the Portuguese forward, who is over 40, is running, he will soon have 1,000 goals next to his name.
Top 5 Highest-Paid Athletes in 2025
Sports Income (Rs)
Cristiano Ronaldo Football 33.4 billion
Stephen Curry Basketball 18.94 billion 59 million
Tyson Fury Boxing 17.73 billion 14 million
Dak Prescott American Football 16.63 billion 84 million
Lionel Messi Football 16.39 billion 26 million
