Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen make the world’s athletes’ rich list

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen rank among the absolute global elite in terms of sports earnings in 2025.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton edged out four-time champ Verstappen on the annual ranking of the world’s highest-paid athletes by the American business magazine Forbes. According to the magazine, Hamilton sat in equal 22nd place with Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez, earning a total of $80million over the past 12 months.

Verstappen was 24th, just ahead of footballer and part-time diver Neymar Jr, raking in $78million. Most of this amount – an estimated $72million – came from his salary and bonuses with Red Bull. The remaining $6million dollars derived from commercial deals, including personal sponsorships and merchandise.

This is where Hamilton had him beaten: though Lewis earned less from on-track activities last year – $60million – his off-track commercial activities including investments and endorsements was greater.

Predictably, perhaps, the Forbes list is dominated by exponents of ball games and the likes. For the third year in a row, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo topped the chart with a total income of $275million.

Rivals will have to work much harder to overtake the Portuguese star’s earning power: basketball player Stephen Curry, in second place, earned $156million. Boxer Tyson Fury completed the top three with a modest $146million.

Placing at the bottom of the list and a relative pauper on earnings of $53.6million was New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson. This, according to Forbes, would have placed him sixth overall eight years ago since sports personality earnings are following an ever-upward trajectory.

“Landing a spot on the exclusive list is harder than ever,” it said.