Which sport pays the most?
Football, and not narrowly. Cristiano Ronaldo earns £156,000,000 a year at Al-Nassr Football Club — 2.8 times what Max Verstappen is paid as the best-paid name in Formula 1, and more than the top salary in the NBA, the NFL, MLB, the NHL and the IPL put together.
Every figure below is a year's pay, in one currency, so the columns can be read against each other. Golf, tennis and MMA pay purses rather than a wage, and are counted apart from the salaries further down.
The highest salary in every sport
The most any one athlete is paid in a year. Tap a column heading to re-rank.
| SPORT | ATHLETE | TEAM | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Football | Cristiano Ronaldo | Al-Nassr Football Club | £156,000,000 |
| Formula 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | £55,300,000 |
| NBA | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | £44,153,198 |
| NFL | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | £42,037,037 |
| MLB | Max Scherzer | Toronto Blue Jays | £32,098,766 |
| NHL | Mikko Rantanen | Dallas Stars | £8,888,889 |
| IPL | Rishabh Pant | Lucknow Super Giants | £2,410,714 |
The highest salary in every football league
The best paid player in each league, in the 2026/27 season
| LEAGUE | PLAYER | CLUB | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Pro League | Cristiano Ronaldo | Al-Nassr Football Club | £156,000,000 |
| La Liga | Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid | £25,844,000 |
| Premier League | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | £23,400,000 |
| Süper Lig | Victor Osimhen | Galatasaray A.Ş. | £22,672,000 |
| Major League Soccer | Robert Lewandowski | Chicago Fire FC | £22,464,000 |
| Bundesliga | Jamal Musiala | FC Bayern München | £21,528,000 |
| Ligue 1 | Ousmane Dembélé | Paris Saint-Germain | £17,264,000 |
| Primeira Liga | Jhon Durán | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | £15,600,000 |
| Serie A | Lautaro Martínez | Inter Milan | £14,404,000 |
| Eredivisie | Marc-André ter Stegen | AFC Ajax | £12,064,000 |
| Championship | Kalvin Phillips | Sheffield United | £8,580,000 |
| Super Liga | Thiago Almada | Club Atlético River Plate | £6,396,000 |
The sports that pay prize money
Golf, tennis and MMA pay purses rather than a wage, so the period each figure covers is named
| SPORT | ATHLETE | PERIOD | EARNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennis | Novak Djokovic | Whole career | £144,190,236 |
| Golf | Scottie Scheffler | One season | £17,475,809 |
| MMA | Conor McGregor | Whole career | £8,588,148 |
Frequently asked questions
Which sport pays the most?
Football. Cristiano Ronaldo earns £156,000,000 a year at Al-Nassr Football Club, 2.8 times the highest salary in Formula 1, where Max Verstappen earns £55,300,000, and more than the top salary in the NBA, the NFL, MLB, the NHL and the IPL put together.
Which sport has the highest paid players?
Football: Cristiano Ronaldo, £156,000,000 a year. Formula 1: Max Verstappen, £55,300,000 a year. NBA: Stephen Curry, £44,153,198 a year. NFL: Patrick Mahomes, £42,037,037 a year. MLB: Max Scherzer, £32,098,766 a year. NHL: Mikko Rantanen, £8,888,889 a year. IPL: Rishabh Pant, £2,410,714 a year.
Which football league pays the most?
Saudi Pro League. Cristiano Ronaldo earns £156,000,000 a year at Al-Nassr Football Club, against £25,844,000 for Kylian Mbappé, the best paid player in La Liga. The gap between the top two football leagues is wider than the gap between most sports.
Where does golf, tennis and MMA money come in?
They are won rather than paid, so they are counted apart from the salaries. Novak Djokovic has won £144,190,236 across a tennis career, and Scottie Scheffler £17,475,809 in a single golf season.