Ronaldo Replaces Mayweather, Woods To Top Forbes 2016 List

Ronaldo beat stiff competition from football rival Lionel Messi who earned $81.4m, and basketball player LeBron James, who earned $77.2m to become world’s richest athlete.

The Portuguese player has a sportswear sponsorship deal with Nike, which has launched a clothing range called CR7 (after his initials and shirt number) and has signed partnerships with watchmaker, Tag Heuer and nutrition supplements group, Herbalife.

The influential business magazine’s list has been led by either boxer Floyd Mayweather or golfer Tiger Woods for the past decade-and-a-half.

It is the first time since 2001 that an athlete other than Mayweather or golfer Tiger Woods has topped the list.

Woods took the prize a mammoth 12 times, while Mayweather topped the list three times in an incredible show of dominance for the pair.

Mr Mayweather, who retired from boxing in October following an undefeated professional career of 49 bouts, he fought just once in the past year.

Woods on the other hand earned just $300,000 from golf winnings, but $45m from endorsement deals with companies including Nike and Titleist.

In full, the top 10 list is as follows: Cristiano Ronaldo – football ($88m/£60.6m), Lionel Messi – football ($81.4m/£56.1m),LeBron James – basketball ($77.2m/£53.2m),Roger Federer – tennis ($67.8m/£46.7m),Kevin Durant – basketball (£56.2m/£38.7m), Novak Djokovic – tennis ($55.8m/£38.46m), Cam Newton – American football ($53.1m/£36.6m), Phil Mickelson – golf ($52.9m/£36.46m), Jordan Spieth – golf ($52.8m/£36.39m), Kobe Bryant – basketball ($50m/£34.46m).

One in four of the top 100 earning stars in the Forbes list is a baseball player and 65 of them are Americans. Together, the 100 earned $3.15bn (£2.17bn) in 2015.

Other details reveal that: F1’s Lewis Hamilton is the highest-earning Briton on the list. His $46m (£31.7m) puts him in 11th place.

Also, Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy is 17th, with $42.6m (£29.36m) – of that, $35m (£24.1m) came from endorsements.

Wales international Gareth Bale, Ronaldo’s Real Madrid team-mate, is the highest-earning British footballer, with his $35.9m (£24.7m) putting him 25th.

As expected, World number one tennis player Serena Williams is the highest-placed woman on the list, in 40th, with $28.9m (£19.9m) made last year. The only other woman to feature in the top 100 is fellow tennis player Maria Sharapova, who comes in at 79 with $21.9m (£15m).

The Russian, previously the world’s highest-earning female athlete, was banned from the sport for two years on Wednesday after testing positive for a prohibited substance.

England and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney is at 49, with $26.1m (£17.99m), making him the highest-grossing Premier League player.

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is the next biggest earner in the Premier League, his $24.3m (£16.75m) placing him at 60.