Top 10 world’s highest paid athletes 2026: Since making his professional debut in 2007, Messi has reportedly earned more than $700 million through salaries and bonuses alone.Top 10 world’s highest paid athletes 2026: Football legend Lionel Messi has officially joined the billionaire club, adding yet another major achievement to his already historic career. Since making his professional debut in 2007, Messi has reportedly earned more than $700 million through salaries and bonuses alone. Over the years, his wealth has grown far beyond football, thanks to major sponsorship deals, investments, and business ventures.According to Bloomberg, Messi’s net worth has now crossed $1 billion, putting him among the richest athletes in the world. He now joins his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who became football’s first billionaire after signing a massive deal in Saudi Arabia.As per Forbes’ latest rankings, Ronaldo is currently the highest-paid athlete in 2026. The 41-year-old topped the list for the fourth straight year and the sixth time overall, earning an estimated $300 million over the past 12 months before taxes and agent fees. His total income includes around $235 million from his contract with Al-Nassr and another $65 million from endorsements, appearances, licensing, memorabilia, and other business activities.Compared to 2025, Ronaldo’s earnings have increased by $25 million, setting another record for a footballer. He is also joined by other sports stars who achieved record-breaking earnings in their respective sports. Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton earned an estimated $100 million in the last year, surpassing the Formula 1 record of $82 million that he had set in 2021 while driving for Mercedes.Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani earned $127.6 million, reclaiming the top spot in Major League Baseball after Juan Soto had led in 2025 with earnings of $114 million.Also Read | Top 10 highest-paid IPL players: Virat Kohli leads with Rs 230 crore; check Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni’s earningsOther global sports icons also posted career-high earnings. Boxer Canelo Álvarez earned an estimated $170 million, Messi brought in $140 million, and LeBron James earned $137.8 million.Together, the world’s ten highest-paid athletes earned a combined $1.4 billion over the past year. While this is only slightly higher than the total in 2025, it is more than double the $635 million earned by the top ten athletes in 2016, when Ronaldo first reached the No. 1 position with earnings of $88 million. For the third consecutive year, every athlete in the top ten made at least $100 million.Story continues below this adOut of the total earnings, athletes collected $902 million from salaries, bonuses, and prize money. Although this figure was 2% lower than the $920 million recorded in 2025 and below the 2024 record of $978 million, they made up for it through sponsorships and business ventures. Off the field, the top ten athletes earned an estimated $513 million, slightly higher than the previous record of $512 million set in 2021.