Pic: Instagram / Ronaldo
Doha, Qatar: Former Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo earned himself a Guinness World Records title for the highest annual earnings for an athlete in 2023. Ronaldo ranked first in the Forbes list of the world's highest-paid athletes for the third time in his historic career and for the first time since 2017.
The Al-Nassr star player takes the title away from Messi who won it in 2022 with an estimated $130 million in earnings.
In the 12 months leading up to May 1, 2023, a period during which most sports seasons conclude, Ronaldo is estimated to have earned $136 million, stated Guinness. His earnings comprise $46 million on-field, including salaries, bonuses, and prize money; while the remaining $90 million comes from off-field earnings, which include lifetime contracts with Nike and CR7-branded merchandise.
The other two highest-paid athletes of 2022-2023 to make it to the top three are Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé with $130 million and $100 million in earnings, respectively.
In fourth place, LeBron James with $119 million set the record for the highest annual earnings for a basketball player in 2023 while Canelo Alvarez with $110 million stood fifth and bagged the record for the highest annual earnings for a boxer in 2023.
Tennis stars Roger Federer and Serena Williams also made it to the list and had the highest earnings for male and female tennis players in 2023 added Guinness.
