Highest annual earnings for a footballer (current year)

According to Forbes, the highest-earning soccer player of 2023–24 was Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), with an estimated income of $260 m (£207.6 m) in the 12 months up to 1 May 2024.

This placed him top of the list as the highest-earning athlete overall in the report.

Currently playing for Saudi team Al Nassr, who he joined in early 2023, Ronaldo's estimated on-field earnings were $200 m (£160 m), with the remainder made up by sponsorship and endorsement deals with brands such as Nike and Binance.

The next two highest-earning athletes of the year were golfer Jon Rahm (Spain) on $218 m (£174 m) and long-time rival Lionel Messi (Argentina) on $135 m (£107.8 m).