Messi beats Ronaldo to be named world’s highest paid athlete

Lionel Messi has been named as the world’s highest paid athlete over the last 12 months, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, in the Forbes top 100 list.

The Barcelona and Argentina star earned $127m in the last year – more than Juventus forward Ronaldo ($109m) in second place and Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar ($105m) in third.

It is the first time that a trio of footballers have ranked as the top three earners, while Messi becomes only the second footballer to top the rankings after Ronaldo.

The next footballer on the list is Manchester United’s Paul Pogba in 44th place, who is the highest earning Premier League player with $33m.

– Goal.com