Highest-Paid Athletes—Where Does Tottenham’s Son Heung-min Rank?

The latest ranking of the world’s highest-paid athletes has been revealed, and the top spot belongs to a football superstar—Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to U.S. sports business outlet Sportico, Ronaldo earned $260 million (approx. 3.78 trillion KRW) in 2024, securing the No. 1 position for the second consecutive year after leading the list in 2023.

Currently playing for Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr, Ronaldo’s income in 2023 was even higher at $275 million. If broken down per day, his 2024 earnings amount to approximately 10 billion KRW ($7.2 million) daily.

Top 10 Highest-Paid Athletes in 2024

2️⃣ Steph Curry (NBA, Golden State Warriors) – $153.8M

3️⃣ Tyson Fury (Boxing) – $147M

4️⃣ Lionel Messi (Football) – $135M

5️⃣ LeBron James (NBA) – $133.2M

6️⃣ Neymar (Football) – $133M

7️⃣ Oleksandr Usyk (Boxing) – $122M

8️⃣ Karim Benzema (Football) – $116M

9️⃣ Kylian Mbappé (Football) – $110M

🔟 Jon Rahm (Golf) – $105.8M

Notably, all top 100 spots were occupied by male athletes, with Japan’s Shohei Ohtani (MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers) ranking highest among Asian players at 21st place with $72.5M, making him the highest-earning baseball player globally.

Highest Earnings from Sponsorships

When considering off-field sponsorships alone, the rankings shift:

1️⃣ Steph Curry – $100M

2️⃣ LeBron James – $85M

3️⃣ Lionel Messi – $75M

4️⃣ Shohei Ohtani – $70M

5️⃣ Tiger Woods – $52M

Golf legend Tiger Woods, with a total income of $62.1M, ranked 27th overall.

Ronaldo’s dominance in earnings is no surprise, as he was also crowned the highest-earning athlete of 2024 by Forbes, which evaluated income from May 2023 to May 2024.

With sports stars expanding their influence beyond their respective fields, the economic impact of these athletes continues to grow, reinforcing their dominance in the global sports industry.