Not only is he one of the best athletes in the world right now, Cristiano Ronaldo is also one of the world’s highest paid personalities out there.
This is according to a recent finding by Forbes (as per Goal), which places the Real Madrid and Portugal superstar as the joint-fourth highest paid celebrity, tied with famous American psychologist Dr. Phil Mcgraw.
The three-time Ballon d’Or winner, having recently ended his long wait for silverware with the national side by winning UEFA Euro 2016, earns a total of €80m.
However, only €50m of that comes courtesy of wages, with the remaining €30m being a product of his mega-money sponsorship deals with Nike, Sacoor Brothers suits, Monster headphones, and Tag Heuer.
Lionel Messi missed out on the top five, finishing in eight spot despite earning only €6m less than the Blancos ace, with the Argentine’s income valued at €74m.
The Real Madrid and Barcelona superstars are the two highest-paid athletes, and the only two to feature in the top 10. The next highest-paid athlete after the Ballon d’Or kings is LeBron James, with an earning of €70m.
American singer Taylor Swift tops the list with a staggering earning of €153m, whilst British boy band One Direction (2nd) and author James Patterson (3rd) make €100m and €83m, respectively.
Forbes' top 10 highest-paid celebrities
- Taylor Swift – €153m
- One Direction – €100m
- James Patterson (author) – €85m
- Dr Phil McGraw – €80m
- Cristiano Ronaldo – €80m
- Kevin Hart – €79m
- Howard Stern – €76m
- Lionel Messi – €74m
- Adele – €73m
- Rush Limbaugh – €71m
