“Money doesn’t matter!” – Cristiano Ronaldo becoming world’s highest paid athlete over Lionel Messi with $275 million doesn’t sit well with some ‘salty’ fans on social media

Sportico's list featured four footballers in the top ten, including Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar and Mbappe.

“Money doesn’t matter!” – Cristiano Ronaldo becoming world’s highest paid athlete over Lionel Messi with $275 million doesn’t sit well with some ‘salty’ fans on social media

Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list of the highest paid athletes for 2023. (Image via Marca and X)

Fans were left in splits after Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the top spot in the list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. Ronaldo earned a whopping $275 million last year, surpassing other players like Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe.

Football has reasserted itself as the richest sport globally, with three of the top five highest-paid athletes coming from this sport. Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the top spot, followed by golfer Jon Rahm, who earned $203 million last year. Lionel Messi, winner of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, ranked third, with NBA star LeBron James, Al-Hilal forward Neymar, and PSG youngster Kylian Mbappe following suit.

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Ronaldo simultaneously topped the list of being the highest-paid footballer, primarily from his lucrative $210 million-per-year contract with Saudi PL club Al-Nassr. Other than this, the 39-year-old pocketed another huge sum of $60 million from sponsorship and advertisement deals. Rumors were suggesting that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner received an additional €100 million from Al-Nassr as a special signing-on bonus.

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Ronaldo was ahead of his arch-rival Lionel Messi, who became the highest-paid MLS player ever, by earning almost $33 million per year. Fans enthusiastically debated the players’ position on the list.

Fans respond to the news of Cristiano Ronaldo becoming the highest-paid athlete in the world

Fans were quick to react to Sportico’s list of the world’s highest-paid sports personalities. They were taken aback to find Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the list, considering his controversial status throughout the year.

Crsitiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were the highest-paid football players. (Image via Youtube)

Many rival fans suggested that earning money does not matter in football, taking a dig at the 39-year old Portuguese star. Another rival fan pointed out that Lionel Messi could have topped the list, had he joined the Saudi league. One fan claimed that the ex-Real Madrid star had won the Money d’Or, and not the Ballon d’Or.

Here are some of the fans’ reactions:

https://twitter.com/derivat03/status/1755775557294244193

CR7 fans had a completely different opinion. Some fans expressed support for the player by claiming that he always remains on top of every list. Another fan labeled Ronaldo’s earnings as wild, despite his rising age.

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