--- title: Cristiano Ronaldo Was Just Dethroned as the World's Highest-Paid Athlete description: Forbes' annual list of the highest-paid athletes is out, and Floyd Mayweather knocked Cristiano Ronaldo out of the top spot. See the top 20. authors: - name: Mike Ayers role: Executive Editor url: https://money.com/author/mike-ayers/ bio: Mike Ayers is the executive editor of Money. Previously, he’s held editorial roles at the Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone and MTV. education: BA, Sociology, Virginia Tech. Masters of Arts, Sociology, Virginia Tech at_money_since: 2017 articles: 29 covers: - Lifestyle - Career Advice - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Health and Wellness - Housing - Insurance - Investing - Money Archives - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Shopping also_seen_in: - The Wall Street Journal - Rolling Stone social: - https://x.com/themikeayers - https://linkedin.com/in/ayersmike published: '2018-06-06T15:01:06.000Z' modified: '2024-05-16T13:10:43.000Z' section: Lifestyle tags: - Sports - Sports word_count: 475 canonical: https://money.com/highest-paid-athletes-floyd-mayweather-cristiano-ronaldo/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Portugal's forward Cristiano Ronaldo gestures during a training session at Cidade do Futebol (Football City) training camp in Oeiras, outskirts of Lisbon, on June 4, 2018, ahead of the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 preparation match against Algeria.](https://img.money.com/2018/06/180605-cristiano-ronaldo-not-richest.jpg) *Portugal's forward Cristiano Ronaldo gestures during a training session at Cidade do Futebol (Football City) training camp in Oeiras, outskirts of Lisbon, on June 4, 2018, ahead of the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 preparation match against Algeria.* The 2018 [world’s highest-paid athletes list](https://www.forbes.com/athletes/list/#tab:overall) is out — and Cristiano Ronaldo has been kicked out of the top spot. The soccer star was [No. 1 for the last two years](https://www.si.com/more-sports/2018/06/05/forbes-highest-paid-athletes-floyd-mayweather-lionel-messi) on Forbes’ annual list of the highest-paid sports stars, but taking over the reins now is boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned a staggering $275 million between June 1, 2017 and June 1, 2018. The kicker? It was for [one night of work](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2018/06/05/how-floyd-mayweather-earned-275-million-for-one-night-of-work/#84890106e4d3). Mayweather went toe-to-toe with Conor McGregor on August 27 last year, which was enough to earn him that payout. Add in his $10 million in endorsements, and his take totaled $285 million. This is Mayweather’s fourth time topping the list in the last seven years. Boxers and soccer stars round out the top 5: Lionel Messi came in at No. 2, earning $84 million in salary and $27 million in endorsements. Ronaldo is at No. 3, earning $61 million in salary and $47 million in endorsements. McGregor, who ended up losing to Mayweather, came in at No. 4 with an $85 million payout and $14 million in endorsements. Soccer star Neymar rounded out the top 5, making $73 million and $17 million in endorsements. So do any athletes other than boxers or soccer stars make it into the ranks of top earners? NBA stars and NFL quarterbacks are doing quite well for themselves. Two tennis superstars, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, also appeared in the top 20. Pro golfer Tiger Woods ranked 16th: He earned a paltry $1.3 million in salary, but made up for that with $42 million in endorsements. On the opposite end of that spectrum, auto racer Sebastian Vettel, who ranked 18th, earned $42 million, but only $300,000 in endorsements. Another notable fact: No woman made this year's list of 100 athletes. It's the first time that has happened since Forbes expanded the ranking beyond 50 in 2010. (Serena Williams was No. 51 last year, but took time off the tournament circuit after the birth of her daughter last year.) Check out the full top 20 below, with the combined salaries and endorsements of the world’s highest-paid athletes: 1\. Floyd Mayweather, $285 million (Boxing) 2\. Lionel Messi, $111 million (Soccer) 3\. Cristiano Ronaldo, $108 million (Soccer) 4\. Conor McGregor, $99 million (Boxing) 5\. Neymar, $90 million (Soccer) 6\. LeBron James, $55.5 million (Basketball) 7\. Roger Federer, $77.2 million (Tennis) 8\. Stephen Curry, $76.9 million (Basketball) 9\. Matt Ryan, $67.3 million (Football) 10\. Matthew Stafford, $59.5 million (Football) 11\. Kevin Durant, $57.3 million (Basketball) 12\. Lewis Hamilton, $51 million (Auto racing) 13\. Russell Westbrook, $47.6 million (Basketball) 14\. James Harden, $46.4 million (Basketball) 15\. Canelo Alvarez, $44.5 million (Boxing) 16\. Tiger Woods, $43.3 million (Golf) 17\. Drew Brees, $42.9 million (Football) 18\. Sebastian Vettel, $42.3 million (Auto racing) 19\. Derek Carr, $42.1 million (Football) 20\. 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