#2 – Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo (born 5th February, 1985) is a Madeiran born Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid C.F. and the Portugal national team. He is a forward and serves as captain for Portugal.
Along with Lionel Messi, he is often ranked as the best player in the world and rated by some in the sport as the greatest of all time. He is the only player in the history of football to score 50 or more goals in a season on five occasions and Real Madrid recently rewarded him with a record 5-year contract worth more than $200 million. His commercially good looks have landed him mega sponsorships, like his recent deal with Tag Heuer and a personal brand of underwear labeled CR7 on top of his long-term Nike deal.
Total Earnings: $80 Million
Salary/winnings: $52 Million
Endorsements: $28 Million