Cristiano Ronaldo tops Forbes' highest-paid footballers list

Cristiano Ronaldo has a lot to smile about. The Portuguese superstar, known for his prowess on the pitch as much as in the investment field, has topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid footballers for the 2025-2026 season.

This is the sixth time in ten years that he’s topped the list, and the news comes days after Bloomberg recognised him as first-ever sports billionaire.

Forbes estimates that he will rake in $280 million (Dh1 billion) in earnings over the coming year before taxes.

This development means he’s also leaving his football frenemies in the dust – on the coveted list, Ronaldo is followed by Lionel Messi, whose bank account has a decent (but much less) $130 million in projected income.

Together though, these footballers – the ones on the top ten highest-paid list – will take home a tidy $945 million during the 2025-26 season.

Ronaldo is not only well thought of on the field but he has quite a following out of the game too; in February 2021, he grabbed the title of first person in the world to gather 500 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

His income off-the-field comes from brand endorsements, clothing, accessories, hotels and gyms. In Dubai, he is well known for two restaurants: The Spanish eatery Tatel Dubai and TOTÓ Dubai, the Italian-Mediterranean restaurant.