Cristiano Ronaldo Managed to Surpass Messi... At Least in His Bank Account.
Cristiano Ronaldo doubles Messi's earnings in 2025
Has Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed Messi?
Sportico analyzed the highest-paid athletes of 2025, and Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list, earning $260 million at his club Al-Nasr, doubling the salary of his lifelong rival Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami.
This is the third consecutive year that the Portuguese star has topped this ranking. This ranking not only analyzes the salaries that players receive but also any other type of remuneration they may receive while they are active for their services.
Where is Lionel Messi?
The Argentine legend of Barcelona is in third place with total earnings of around $130 million. One place below him is Mexican boxer Canelo Álvarez, who earns $7 million more than him.
The world champion works closely with Adidas and has renewed his contract with Inter Miami, but unfortunately, in financial terms, he cannot match the amounts that Ronaldo receives.
In terms of salaries
Cristiano Ronaldo is said to be earning a salary of 200 million dollars, while his Argentine counterpart is at 60 million dollars. Keep in mind that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has signed very lucrative advertising deals, including contracts with Nike, Herbalife, Binance, Perplexity, Yili, and Therabody. His total number of followers on the Internet has exceeded one billion.
However, compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi receives 10 million more in sponsorships than the Portuguese player, that is, 70 million.
Adding up the salary and other income, Cristiano Ronaldo rounds off 2025 with a profit of 260 million dollars, doubling his eternal rival.
