REAL MADRID
Cristiano named world's highest-paid athlete ahead of Messi
The Real Madrid star takes over from boxer Floyd Mayweather at the top of the ranking compiled by Forbes Magazine, with Leo Messi in second.
Cristiano Ronaldo has moved into first place in Forbes Magazine's annual list of the world's highest-paid athletes, which was released by the American business publication on Wednesday.
The Real Madrid ace's earnings of $88 million (77.2 million euros) over the past 12 months see him succeed boxer Floyd Mayweather, who retired in late 2015, at the top of the ranking.
CR7 breaks the Mayweather/Woods duopoly
Cristiano, who came third last year, becomes the first sportsperson other than Mayweather or golfer Tiger Woods to head the Forbes charts since 2000.
Messi and LeBron behind Cristiano
The Portugal captain leads the way ahead of his chief footballing rival, Barcelona's Lionel Messi (71.5 million euros), with basketball star LeBron James in third (67.7 million).
Forbes' calculations took into account athletes' earnings from salaries, prize money and bonuses between 1 June 2015 and 1 June 2016, as well as their estimated income from endorsements.