The World's 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2025

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

59% : And Karim Benzema (No. 8, $104 million) is based full time in Saudi Arabia, as a striker for soccer club Al-Ittihad.
58% : And there are plenty of other eye-popping paydays among this year's 10 highest-paid athletes, starting with James, who notched a personal-best $133.8 million to land at No. 6.
54% : Tyson Fury (No. 3, $146 million) fought Usyk twice in Riyadh while Lionel Messi (No. 5, $135 million) has a massive sponsorship deal to promote the country as a tourist destination, making up a significant chunk of his estimated $75 million in off-field earnings.
51% : Two athletes -- Curry and Los Angeles Dodgers two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani (No. 9, $102.5 million) -- hit nine figures over the past 12 months with their off-field earnings alone, racking up an estimated $100 million each from endorsements, appearances, memorabilia and licensing fees.
50% : And when it comes to the 2025 leaderboard, Ronaldo has a $119 million advantage over No. 2, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
42% : Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (No. 4, $137 million) and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (No. 7, $114 million) broke records for the NFL and MLB.

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