New York (AFP) - Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona striker Lionel Messi topped the Forbes magazine list of the world's highest-paid athletes on Wednesday in the wake of boxer Floyd Mayweather's retirement and back surgery for golfer Tiger Woods.
The annual list of total revenues for top sports stars had been topped 12 times by Woods and in three of the last four by Mayweather, who retired unbeaten last year.
This year, 31-year-old Portugal forward Ronaldo topped the list at $88 million (77.2 million euros) with $56 million in salary and $32 million more from endorsement deals.