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Cristiano Ronaldo retains his spot as the highest-paid footballer in the world in 2023, earning more than the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar during the past 12 months, according to Forbes.

After competing in a legendary rivalry on the pitch for several years, Ronaldo and Messi are putting up a neck-to-neck competition off the field as well.

The iconic footballing duo ruled the significant portion of the last decade, scoring goals and winning matches, tournaments, Ballon d’Ors, and several other prestigious awards.

This time Ronaldo has emerged as a winner against his Argentine rival in terms of the annual earnings in salaries and sponsorship deals. According to Forbes, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker has earned $200 million in salaries and another $60 million off-field.

 

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Messi stands in the second position on the list with net earnings of of $135 million last year. The Argentine star reportedly earned around $66 million in salaries and around $70 million in terms of off-field revenues.

Messi is the first MLS player to appear in the top 10 since David Beckham in 2012.

Nermay's earnings got a huge boost after he signed for Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League in August and he stands in third place. Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema are the three other players on the list to have earnings of more than $100 million.

There is a clear dominance of Sudi-based clubs in terms of providing massive deals to big footballing names in the world.

Premier League stars, including Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Liverpool forward Mohammed Salah, occupy the sixth and seventh spots on the list, respectively. While Sadio Mane, Kevin de Bruyne, Harry Kane, and Robert Lewandoski round off the top 11.

Ronaldo decided to leave European football in order to meet new challenges Manchester United announced that the club had decided to part ways with their star player last year.

The announcement came a few weeks ahead of the FIFA World Cup after Ronaldo's blunt interview with Piers Morgan where he criticised his boyhood club Manchester United 

Ronaldo's presence at the top as the world’s highest-paid footballer at the age of 38 clarifies his brilliance and longevity in his career.

 

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His success became limited once he departed from Real Madrid. After a disappointing stint at Juventus, he returned to Old Trafford. But his return to Manchester United didn't go as planned.

He was soon dropped off by coach Erik ten Hag, forcing the star player to leave for Saudi in a whopping deal.