Congratulations are in order for Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now officially the world’s first and only billionaire soccer player. As Forbes reports, he was one of the top five highest-grossing athletes in 2019, bringing in a whopping US$105 million to push his net worth into the 10-figure zone.

When the league began in 1920, and up through the early 1960s, every placekicker attempting a field goal or extra point would approach the ball straight on and kick it with his toes. By the late 1980s, toe-ballers were extinct, because soccer kickers were generally making more of their attempts.

Football results

1. Lionel Messi. La Pulga Atómica (the Atomic Flea) has remained at the top of this list for over a decade now, and at 33, he’s still going strong.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo. As long as he’s around, he’ll be up near the top of the list.
3. Neymar.
4. Robert Lewandowski.
5. Kylian Mbappé
6. Kevin De Bruyne.
7. Virgil van Dijk.
8. Sadio Mané

Lionel Messi, Soccer ($104M) He will return to a contract that earns him over $80 million annually, making him the highest-paid on-field athlete in the world. In 2020, he also became the second footballer (after Ronaldo) to earn $1 billion in his career.

Lionel Messi

Ronaldo’s net worth at 2020 is roughly $460 million coming from his playing contracts, endorsements, business deals, and fashion endeavors. He started off playing amateur football at the age of 12 for Sporting CP.

71 million EUR (2021)

Highest-paid (salaries & endorsements) soccer players worldwide in 2020