Ronaldo reigns in football and earnings

The best player in the world is also the highest-paid athlete for the second year in a row. Last year, he earned 93 million dollars.

Ronaldo reigns in football and earnings
At the end of the last century, the business of global sports was dominated by the likes of Michael Jordan and Michael Schumacher. In the new millennium, golfer Tiger Woods enjoyed nearly a decade of dominance, followed by boxer Floyd Mayweather. Today, we are witnessing the unique era of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. He has become only the fifth athlete in history to defend the top spot in the ranking of the world’s highest-paid athletes. According to the latest list by Forbes magazine, the 32-year-old Portuguese earned 93 million dollars last year—five million more than the year before.

“He is at the absolute peak of his career. In his case, athletic success goes hand in hand with financial success off the pitch as well,” said sports analyst and football agent Jozef Tokos to the Economic Daily.

The phenomenon from Madeira
The Madeira-born star has been at the top level of football for more than a decade. But no year was as successful as 2016. He led Real Madrid to victory in the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup, and most notably, he helped Portugal win the European Championship in France.

“His contract with Real Madrid guarantees him a minimum annual income of 50 million dollars until 2021, and he also signed a lifetime deal with Nike worth one billion,” writes Kurt Badenhausen, author of the Forbes ranking. The contract with Madrid, along with performance bonuses and national team rewards, brought him an estimated 58 million. Another 35 million came from sponsorship deals and the increasingly successful CR7 brand, which appears on footwear, underwear, perfumes, jeans, and a chain of hotels. Ronaldo's uniqueness in today’s tech-driven world is also reflected in his popularity on social media. With a combined total of 275 million followers, he has no competition—not only in sports, but also compared to entertainment stars and other public figures. 

“For years, he has had a sporting rivalry with Barcelona’s leader Lionel Messi. While it’s impossible to definitively say who is the better footballer, in the business world, Ronaldo is the clear number one,” says Tokos. According to him, Messi has never been as commercially attractive as his Madrid rival. Moreover, the Argentine’s image suffered due to a suspended 21-month sentence last year for tax evasion, which hurt his sponsorship value. “Ronaldo also had a few controversial moments in his private life, but he handled them and doesn’t have a major blemish in his profile like Messi,” Tokos added.

The dark fate of the richest
This may not happen to the current Forbes leader Cristiano Ronaldo, but the fate of his predecessors is far from happy. Boxer Mike Tyson, the highest-paid athlete in 1990 and 1996, fell victim to a lavish lifestyle and reckless spending. Shortly after his career ended, he was forced to declare bankruptcy. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher, the top earner in 1999 and 2000, has not returned to a normal life following a tragic skiing accident and serious health problems, and he remains dependent on care. Tiger Woods continues a dramatic decline—persistent back issues and infamous sex scandals have cast a long shadow. Last year, he earned only 107,000 dollars from golf, though endorsements with brands like TaylorMade, Bridgestone, and Monster Energy brought him 37 million.

Finally, there’s Maria Sharapova, long the highest-paid woman in sports. Her doping scandal last year, the resulting suspension, and the loss of major sponsors meant she didn’t make the Forbes list for the first time. The only woman who did is fellow tennis player Serena Williams, with earnings of 27 million dollars.

World's richest athletes (in million dollars):

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – football – 93.0

2. LeBron James – basketball – 86.2

3. Lionel Messi – football – 80.0

4. Roger Federer – tennis – 64.0

5. Kevin Durant – basketball – 60.6

6. Andrew Luck – American football – 50.0
   Rory McIlroy – golf – 50.0

7. Stephen Curry – basketball – 47.3

8. James Harden – basketball – 46.6

9. Lewis Hamilton – Formula 1 – 46.0

Source: Forbes