Ronaldo among top five highest paid celebrities

TIL Desk Sports/ Portugal’s European Championship winning captain and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently rakes in $88 million a year in salary and sponsorship income, was placed among top five wealthiest personalties on the planet. Ronaldo is the joint-fourth highest-paid celebrity in the world, according to new figures published by Forbes.

Ronaldo, who recently helped Portugal win Euro 2016 beating hosts France, earns a total of $88 million a year in salary and sponsorship income, putting him level with American television star Phil McGraw. According to the data, the 31-year-old Ronaldo earns $55 million in wages while the rest comes from his several lucrative sponsorship deals with global brands such as Nike, Tag Heuer, Sacoor Brothers suits and Monster headphones.

Ronaldo ranks above Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, who is the eigth highest-paid celebrity and second wealthiest footballer with an income of $81.5 million. The third richest sports celebrity is basketball icon LeBron James on $77 million, while musician Taylor Swift ranks the highest on the list with an income of $170 million. British band One Direction ($110 million) and American author James Patterson ($95 million) are the only other two celebrities that finish higher than Ronaldo on the Forbes’ list.