The Real Madrid star is ranked fifth on a global scale and is also the world’s most renumerated sportsperson.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been knocked off his perch as the top-paid European celebrity by Harry Potter author JK Rowling.
The former Manchester United man, who is the current Ballon d’Or holder and favourite to lift the prestigious individual award once again this year, is reported by Forbes to earn $93 million during 2017, $2m less than Rowling.
He is one of three footballers to command a place in the top 20, with club-mate Gareth Bale worth $34m and Manchester United star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is currently battling his way back from a serious knee problem, with $32m.
The upper part of the list is dominated by musicians, notably Adele, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Calvin Harris, with a smattering of sportsmen as well as celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey.
On a global scale, Ronaldo is the highest-paid sportsman, beating out NBA superstar LeBron James ($86.2m) and great rival Lionel Messi ($80m) of Barcelona, who is squeezed into third.
They are the only two footballers to make the top 10, with four basketball players (Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and James Harden), one tennis player (Roger Federer), one NFL star (Andrew Luck), one golfer (Rory McIlroy) and F1 driver Lewis Hamilton completing the top 10.
Meanwhile, the 32-year-old Portuguese is the fifth best-paid celebrity on the planet. Sean Combs, better known as P Diddy, tops the list having generated earnings of $130m during 2017, while Beyonce ($105m) is ranked second. Then come Rowling and Drake ($94m).
After a slow start to the current season, which was caused in part by a five-match domestic ban picked up after being sent off in the first leg of the Spanish Supercopa, Ronaldo has returned to scoring form.
Although he has only one goal in La Liga to date, that netted last weekend against Getafe, he has been in prolific form in the Champions League, scoring five times in only three outings. Doubles were scored against both APOEL and Borussia Dortmund before he grabbed Madrid’s equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham on Tuesday.
He will next be in action on Saturday, when Zinedine Zidane’s side tackle Eibar in the Primera Division. Having dropped points in three of their opening eight fixtures, they have a five-point deficit to make up on Barcelona already and also trail in-form Valencia.
Source : Goal.com
