Old Guys Rule: Veterans Dominate the Forbes Highest Paid Athletes List

Sports may be a young man's game, but the bank accounts of many of these older athletes say otherwise. Forbes recently announced their highest paid athletes list, combining on-field and off-field revenue. The theme of this list is that the older athletes still got it.

At the top of the list is 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo at $300 million in total earnings. While he has more endorsements than you can count, a big part of his earnings come from his salary in the Saudi Pro League. His former teammate at Real Madrid, Karim Benzema, comes in at 8th. Benzema also plays in the Saudi Pro League. Despite both having their best days behind them, they are still an attraction and command large salaries.

35-year-old boxer Canelo Alvarez comes in at 2nd with $170 million in total earnings, also backed largely by Saudi funds.

Two legends of their sport, Lionel Messi and LeBron James, come in at 3rd and 4th respectively. Messi now plays stateside in MLS, while James just finished his 8th season with the Lakers. James is set to be a free agent, and it will be interesting to see if he takes a pay cut to latch on with a contending team in the twilight of his career.

Athletes rounding out the top ten include Shohei Ohtani, Stephen Curry, Jon Rahm, Kevin Durant, and Lewis Hamilton.

The list shows that veteran sports stars are still entrenched in our society. They command dollars on and off the field. Basketball's future in particular seems interesting. LeBron, Curry, and Durant will retire eventually. Who will take the reins and be the face of the sport moving forward?

Soccer is more of a global sport but still faces the same question. When legendary stars like Ronaldo and Messi retire, who will take charge? Early indications point toward youngsters like Lamine Yamal, but these are big shoes to fill.

When the final whistle blows on this generation of sports royalty, the void will be enormous. Off-field revenue is a testament to one's marketability. Your talents may be immense, but are you marketable? The next generation has the athleticism to compete, but building that kind of commercial empire takes time. For now, the veterans remain the draw, and the business of sports is better for it.

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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 6:00 PM.