Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's rivalry has captivated fans for over a decade, both on and off the pitch. While their competition for titles and individual awards has been fierce, a new battleground has emerged—financial earnings.

Respected US business outlet Forbes has updated its listing of the top 10 highest-paid footballers in the world.

Messi sat top of the pile in three consecutive years between 2018 and 2020, whilst Mbappe momentarily stole the show whilst at Paris Saint-Germain in 2022. Ronaldo not only sits top of the the football list, the 39-year-old is also the highest-paid athlete across all sports for 2024, according to Forbes.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will probably never win the Ballon d’Or again. On the other hand, the two football

Lionel Messi supposedly paid little attention to the GOAT debate between himself and Cristiano Ronaldo when he was playing for Barcelona, instead focusing on scoring goals and winning titles

Cristiano Ronaldo’s world-record deal with Al-Nassr plays a big role in making him the highest-paid footballer in the world as he beat Argentina’s Lionel Messi to the title.

A Saudi payday may be harder to come by these days, but the Kingdom still boasts four of the 10 top-earning footballers, including a record-setting Cristiano Ronaldo.

The unprecedented figure was revealed as part of Forbes' annual report on the world's 10 highest-paid players. The list lays bare the dramatic surge in sports stars' earnings in the last decade.