With leagues around the globe posting record revenues and investors pouring in cash to drive further expansion, the sports world’s biggest stars have long been able to bank on an annual pay raise. For the past eight years—aside from a momentary dip in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic kept fans out of stadiums—the combined earnings of the 50 highest-paid athletes have climbed higher and higher, rising from $2.6 billion in 2018 to $4.2 billion in 2025.
That impressive winning streak comes to an end this year, however, with the top 50 having hauled in an estimated $4.1 billion over the past 12 months before taxes and agent fees—$3 billion on the field from their salaries, bonuses and prize money and $1.1 billion off the field, from endorsements, appearances, memorabilia and other business endeavors.
But while a 3% decline in the earnings total looks like a fumble after the recent march down the financial field—blame it in part on a dearth of new NFL mega-contracts relative to the past couple of years—no one needs to feel too bad for this exclusive group of athletes, who still recorded the second-best income figure ever measured by Forbes (without adjusting for inflation).
Leading the list for the fourth straight year is soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, with an estimated $300 million, equaling the best year ever measured by Forbes. And at No. 50, top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner sets the floor at an estimated $54.6 million—a record cutoff, up slightly from 2025’s $53.6 million.
