No women are listed among the top 100-paid athletes, with Ronaldo at the top

With a total revenue of $260 million in 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list of the highest-paid athletes in the world once more, according to sports industry news site Sportico. However, none of the top 100 athletes were female.

Soccer, the NBA, the NFL, golf, and boxing athletes made up the majority of the top 100, who collectively made an estimated $6.2 billion last year. $1.4 billion in endorsements and $4.8 billion in salary and prize money are included in the calculation.

With $30.4 million, former U.S. Open tennis champion Coco Gauff was the highest-paid female athlete in the previous year. Daniel Jones, the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, came in at number 100 with $37.5 million.

Once Ronaldo joined the Saudi Pro League in December 2022, his expensive deal with Al-Nassr, a Saudi Arabian soccer team, guaranteed him the top rank for a second consecutive year.

The Portugal attacker, who turned 40 last week, reportedly received a healthy $215 million in salary and $45 million in sponsorship deals, according to Sportico.

Ronaldo is so much better than the other athletes in the globe that Stephen Curry, the guard for the Golden State Warriors, who comes in second on the list, made $153.8 million, which is more than $100 million less than the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

At $147 million, British boxer Tyson Fury, who lost to Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine in a heavyweight match in December, comes in third on the list.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi of Inter Miami ($135 million) and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers ($133.2 million), the only player in the NBA who is 40 years of age or older, complete the top five.
The top 100 athletes are from 27 different countries and compete in eight different sports.

Although American Gauff, who is only 20 years old, may go up the list in the future, other female athletes have previously made the list.

According to business magazine Forbes, Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam tennis winner from Japan, earned $57.3 million in prize money and sponsorships in 2022, making her the highest-paid female athlete in the world.

According to Forbes, the 23-time singles major champion and retired tennis legend Serena Williams made $41.8 million in 2021. In 2022, the U.S. Open marked the American’s retirement from the sport.