Richest, Cristiano Ronaldo Beats LeBron James and Lionel Messi

Real Madrid football star Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the highest-earning athlete by Forbes magazine. The player, nicknamed CR7, earned approximately £71.8 million, or approximately Rp 1.24 trillion, in one year. This surpasses the earnings of NBA star LeBron James and Barcelona striker Lionel Messi, who came in second and third with earnings of £66.6 million and £61.8 million respectively.

Forbes magazine's list of the 100 highest-paid athletes shows their total earnings over the past 12 months amounted to £2.40 billion, down from £2.43 billion last year. This decrease is due to a 4 percent reduction in athletes' earnings, approximately £685 million, this year. Before Cristiano Ronaldo, the top spot on Forbes' highest-earning athletes list was dominated by golfer Tiger Woods and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. These two athletes consistently held the top position for the past 15 years.

Currently, the highest-earning athletes are dominated by football and basketball players, contributing 2 and 4 athletes respectively, with only one representative each from golf, tennis, American football, and Formula 1 racing.