If Portuguese star, Cristiano Ronaldo signed the lurking deal with the Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr, he will upset his generational competitor Argentinean and Paris Saint Germaine ace Leonel Messi from the first position as the highest paid global athlete.
A mouthwatering £172.9 million a year deal has reportedly been flung free-agent Ronaldo’s way by Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
If he accepts to sign the contract, CR7 will be joining former Arsenal shot-stopper, David Ospina and Cameron’s striker Vicent Aboubakar who both currently play for the side.
Al Nassr FC of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1995 and is one of the most successful clubs with nine league titles, three crown prince’s cups, two Saudi super cups, and three federation cups.
The five-time Ballon D’or winner had his Manchester United contract terminated earlier this month, following a tumultuous relationship with club chiefs that only worsened when he made a number of controversial statements in an interview with Piers Morgan.
And now Ronaldo is said to have agreed to a two-and-a-half year deal with Al Nassr – worth an eye-watering £172.9million per year – that will see him play until the age of 40.
If he does complete the move, Ronaldo’s eye-watering salary would make him the highest-earning person in sport.
With the canard going around Ronaldo assuming the 37-year-old does move to Saudi Arabia, we take a look at the top 10 highest sports personality’s earners.
Cristiano has won 34 trophies and five Ballon D’ors in his career. He is also the leading international scorer of all-time with 118 goals and the only player to score in 5 different world cups since 2006.
If he does complete the move to the Saudi side of Al Nassr, he will earn £172.9m a year.
Ronaldo is currently third on the highest-paid athletes’ list, earning £83.6m per year, meaning he will earn more than double his salary.
Other highly paid players
Lionel Messi
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Lionel Messi has won seven Ballon d’Or titles.
A four-time Champions League winner, Messi has 799 goals for club and country in 1030 games.
The PSG star earns £103.4m per year meaning he is currently top of the Forbes list, and he will be dwarfed in salary by his old rival Ronaldo.
LeBron James
James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Basketball legends don’t get much bigger than LeBron James, with the 37-year-old having won 4 NBA titles in his career.
He is also a partner in Fenway Sports Group, meaning he is a part owner in several sporting teams including Liverpool – he earns £101.4m per year.
Steph Curry
A point guard for the Golden State Warriors, Curry is another basketball all-time great.
He is known as one of the greatest shooters in NBA history and is credited with changing the sport by encouraging teams and players to have more three-point shots. Slotting in at fourth on the list, Curry earns £77.6m per year.
Kevin Durrant
A two-time NBA winner, the Brooklyn Jets No 7 Durant is another era-defining basketball player to feature on this list.
He’s featured in the NBA All-Star game on 12 occasions despite being only 34 and he earns £77m per year.
Rogers Federer
The legendary Tennis icon announced his retirement in September this year but still features in this list.
Having won the Wimbledon title a record eight times, Federer also spent 237 consecutive weeks ranked No 1 in the world during his career – Federer earns £75.9m per year.
Canelo Alvarez
Canelo has won multiple world titles in four different weight classes from light middleweight to light heavyweight.
He’s won 58 of his 62 fights, with only two losses, while 39 of his wins have come via KO – the Mexican earns £75.3m per year.
Neymar Jr
The 30-year-old is the second PSG player on this list with Messi after joining the club for a world record £200m in 2017.
He has torn up European football ever since first joining Barcelona in 2013 and has 115 goals in 164 PSG appearances, while he has netted 75 in 122 for the Selecao – Neymar earns £72.8m per year.
Tom Bradly
Brady is a seven-time Super Bowl winner and is still plying his trade at the age of 45.
The Tampay Bay Buccaneers Quarterback is widely regarded as the greatest Quarterback of all time – he earns £70.2m per year.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo is the youngest member of this list at the age of 27 and plies his trade for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Greek-Nigerian basketball player is already one of the most decorated players in NBA history and led the Bucks to their first NBA title since 1971 last year.
A film on Antetokounmpo and his family was released in 2022 – he earns £67.7m per year.
