Messi is outperformed by Ronaldo by £109 million in earnings
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Cristiano Ronaldo of Al-Nassr, who earned £109 million (£136 million) in 2022, is recognised as Forbes’ highest-paid athlete, surpassing Lionel Messi by one position.
After making divisive remarks about the team, the Portuguese forward was forced to leave Manchester United at the beginning of the year. Despite a sharp decline in quality from his Champions League days, Ronaldo has unquestionably not suffered as a result.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the world’s highest-paid athlete after his move to Al-Nassr nearly doubled his annual salary, according to Forbes 💰 pic.twitter.com/wSQDCTXwdp
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 3, 2023
The 38-year-old made £109 million last year in “prize money, salaries and bonuses,” as well as “sponsorship deals, appearance fees, and memorabilia,” according to Forbes. This puts him slightly ahead of PSG star Lionel Messi, who earns £104 million ($130 million), while Kylian Mbappe completes a hat-trick of footballers in the top three with earnings of £96 million ($120 million).
The staggering amount announced for Ronaldo is the highest ever for a football player, and they’re bringing the Portuguese star back to the top for the first time since 2017 Oddly enough, Messi could join the squad of Saudi Arabian leader Al-Nassr Arabia. A recent visit to the Gulf country has ignited talks of a merger among its longtime rivals, with Al-Hilal already making a big move. His contract with current owners Paris Saint-Germain will not be renewed this summer.
Although a return to Barcelona for the Argentine seems the most likely option, even though it would require a significant pay cut, that could knock Cristiano Ronaldo back down to second place. The top five is completed by boxer Canelo Alvarez and basketball legend LeBron James, who also trail Mbappe after the 24-year-old signed an outrageous new contract last summer.
With earnings of $127 million, Lionel Messi surpassed longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who finished in second place with $109 million in earnings. Messi will serve out his two-week suspension at PSG while Ronaldo gets ready for his Monday meeting with Al-Khaleej, all the while speculation about their futures continues.
PSG suspends Messi for two weeks without pay
The Argentine is expected to miss PSG’s upcoming Ligue 1 matches against Troyes and Ajaccio. The conflicts involving Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain continue to grab media attention. RMC Sport reports that the Ligue 1 club has placed their World Cup-winning attacker on a two-week paid suspension due to his recent, unauthorised travel to Saudi Arabia.
Therefore, the Argentine is expected to miss PSG’s upcoming Ligue 1 matches against Troyes and Ajaccio.
PSG have suspended Lionel Messi for two weeks without pay after an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia, per multiple reports pic.twitter.com/CNVBVmajNw
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 2, 2023
Messi, who left Barcelona for Paris in the summer of 2021, has been rumoured to be considering returning to the Catalan team. The hierarchy at the Nou Camp, including club manager Xavi, who spent a significant amount of his club football careerplaying alongside the Argentine, have talked and contemplated this move in public.
Following the 2022 World Cup final, where Messi and company ended a 36-year wait to win the nation’s third World Cup against France, the relationship between the Parisian fans and Messi has suffered a setback. PSG, which is now in first place in Ligue 1 with 75 points after 33 games, was eliminated from both the French Cup and the Champions League.
