Cristiano Ronaldo knocked off top spot as 29-year-old Spaniard becomes world’s highest-paid sportsman
Spanish golfer Jon Rahm has surpassed Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to become the world's best-paid sportsman.
Rahm is the world's third-ranked golfer and the reigning Masters champion. A staunch critic of the rebel Saudi-backed LIV tour, the Spaniard made a dramatic volte face by signing a deal for the 2024 season.
In doing so, the 29-year-old went past Ronaldo's earnings for the year, as per Metro. Having earned $50 million on the PGA Tour and $15 million last year, Rahm ($300 million) has comfortably surpassed Ronaldo ($136 million) as the highest-paid athlete in 2023.
Football superstars Lionel Messi ($130 million) and Kylian Mbappe ($120 million), and NBA legend LeBron James ($119.5 million) round out the top five.
Meanwhile, Rahm told Fox News (as per Metro) after signing the lucrative new deal with LIV:
"Things have changed a lot in the game of golf over the past two years and I’ve seen the growth of LIV Golf and the innovation. That’s why I’m here today. This decision was made for many reasons and what I thought was best for me. Don’t get me wrong: it’s a great deal.
"I’ve been very happy, but there are a lot of things that LIV Golf has to offer that were very enticing. It was a great offer. The money is great; obviously, it’s wonderful."
How has Cristiano Ronaldo fared for club and country in 2023?
Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the best players to have graced the beautiful game. Even at 38, he's going strong, faring well for club and country during the year.
For his club side, Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has netted 33 times and assisted 12 in 40 competitive outings across competitions.
That includes league-leading tallies of 16 goals and eight assists in 15 outings in the league, where Al-Alami are second, seven points behind Al-Hilal (44) after 16 games.
Ronaldo was also in blistering form in international football for Portugal in 2023. In nine UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers, the Selecao captain netted 10 times to take his team to the finals in Germany next year.