, who parted ways with Manchester United in November to join Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, tops the list with an estimated haul of $136 million . Just his playing salary is now worth $75 million a year.
Fellow football player Lionel Messi of Argentina is second on the Forbes list, with the Paris Saint-Germain star raking in $130 million .French footballer Kylian Mbappe is third, with most of his income coming from his $100 million salary at PSG. His total earnings over the last year was estimated to be $120 million .
Basketball icon LeBron James is fourth overall, and the first non-footballer on the list, with the Los Angeles Lakers forward making $119.5 million in the last 12 months. Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez made the most money in the ring, raking in $110 million after scoring big with blockbuster fights against Dmitry Bivol and Gennadiy Golovkin.
Clarifying its methodology in creating the list, Forbes said on-field earnings figures included all prize money, salaries and bonuses, while off-field earnings were an estimate of sponsorship deals, appearance fees and memorabilia, and licensing income.