Emilia Clarke Sets the Record Straight on Game of Thrones Salary

Clearing the number one spot with over $100 million between him and the next guy is soccer’s Cristiano Rolando: The 41-year-old’s total earnings over the last month total a whopping $300 million (which likely helped pay for fiancée Georgina Rodríguez’s jaw-dropping engagement ring in August). 

Behind Ronaldo is boxer Canelo Álvarez (total $170 million), followed by fellow soccer player Lionel Messi (total $140 million), basketball’s LeBron James (total $137.8 million) and baseball superstar Shohei Otani (total $127.6 million). 

This year’s list from Forbes marks the third-consecutive year a female athlete hasn’t made it onto the list. When Forbes released its list of the highest paid women in sports in December, tennis’ Coco Gauff was no. 1 with $33 million—still $21 million less than Sinner, who rounds out the end of the main list.

The last time a woman cracked the top 50 was Serena Williams—who just announced her return to tennis—in 2023 with $45.3 million. In total, only three other women have made the list since 2012, all of whom have been tennis players and include Maria Sharapova, Li Na and Naomi Osaka. (Tennis is among the only sports to dole out equal winnings to its male and female players, having done so across all four major tournaments since 2007.)

In fact, the top three spots for women athletes in December were held by tennis players: Aryna Sabalenka was number two with $30 million followed by Iga Swiatek with $25.1 million. Skier Eileen Gu was ranked fourth with $23.1 million. 

For more insight into what some of the most recognizable faces in the world are raking in year after year, read on.