U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff was the top-earning female athlete in 2024 with $30.4 million, but that was more than $7 million short of the minimum $37.5 million cutoff to make the top 100, according to the list released by Sportico.
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo sits atop the global rankings for the second straight year with $260 million in earnings, including $215 million from his Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr and $45 million off the field.
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is a distant second at $153.8 million, with boxer Tyson Fury ($147 million), Inter Miami soccer great Lionel Messi ($135 million) and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James ($133.2 million) rounding out the top five.
The $100 million club also includes boxer Oleksandr Usyk, soccer players Neymar, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe, golfers Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler, and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
NFL quarterback Daniel Jones, who played for the New York Giants and later signed with the Minnesota Vikings last season, was No. 100 at $37.5 million.
Overall, the top 100 raked in $6.2 billion — a 14 percent increase from last year. Athletes from eight sports and 27 countries made the list.
Top 10 highest paid athletes in the world in 2024
- Cristiano Ronaldo – Soccer – $260M
- Stephen Curry – Basketball – $153.8M
- Tyson Fury – Boxing – $147M
- Lionel Messi – Soccer – $135M
- LeBron James – Basketball – $133.2M
- Neymar – Soccer – $133M
- Oleksandr Usyk – Boxing – $122M
- Karim Benzema – Soccer – $116M
- Kylian Mbappé – Soccer – $110M
- Jon Rahm – Golf -$105.8M
Source: Sportico rankings
