Cristiano Ronaldo has reclaimed his throne as the world's most paid athlete, according to Forbes' annual list of the highest-paid athletes for the year.

The Portuguese superstar's earning is an impressive $136 million in the past 12 months.

Ronaldo, who left Manchester United in 2022, clinched the top spot in the rankings, beating Paris Saint-Germain's Lionel Messi to the second spot.

Messi made a whopping $130 million in the past year, earning him a place among the top ten highest-paid athletes in the world.

The footballer previously held the title of the world's highest paid athlete in 2017, but he was later dethroned by Floyd Mayweather and Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo's comeback to the top of the list is impressive, especially considering the highly competitive nature of football in recent times.

After Messi, it was Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula One world champion who took the third spot on the list, earning $100 million in the past 12 months. NBA superstar LeBron James and tennis ace Roger Federer were tied for the fourth spot, earning $90 million each.

Forbes' rankings are based on both on-field earnings, including salaries, prize money, and bonuses, as well as off-field earnings, including sponsorship deals, appearance fees, and memorabilia and licensing income.

The rankings also consider factors such as taxes and the inflation rate in the athlete's home country.

1.Cristiano Ronaldo, football: $136m (£108.7m)

Ronaldo

2.Lionel Messi, football: $130m (£103.9m)

FRANCE - MARCH 19: Leo Messi of Paris Saint-Germain looks on during the Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Stade Rennes at Parc des Princes on March 19, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier - PSG/PSG via Getty Images)

3.Kylian Mbappe, football: $120m (£95.9m)

Mbappe

4.LeBron James, basketball: $119.5m (£95.5m)

star, LeBron James

5.Canelo Alvarez, boxing: $110m (£87.9m)

Alvarez beats Gennadiy Golovk in trilogy fight

Cristiano Ronaldo is a professional footballer from Portugal who currently plays for Manchester United.

He is considered one of the greatest football players of all time, having won numerous awards and accolades throughout his career, including five Ballon d'Or titles.

Ronaldo has played for several major football clubs, including Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus.

He is known for his incredible speed, skill, and goal-scoring abilities, and has scored over 700 career goals. Ronaldo is also heavily involved in philanthropy, supporting various charities and initiatives to help disadvantaged communities.

Meanwhile there had been recent reports of alleged breakup with his long time girlfriend Georgina Rodríguez with whom he has five children is the stepmother of his first child (Cristiano Junior), raising the child as her own without involvement from the child's biological mother.

The player went through a hard time during his son's death, i.e, the male of the twins his wife gave birth to.

He disclosed in an interview with Piers Morgan, that it was a hard time for both himself and his partner, Georgina.

"Piers, it was probably the worst moment that I passed through in my life since my father died," Ronaldo told Piers Uncensored. "When you have a kid, you expect that everything will be normal and when you have that problem it's hard.

"As a human being as I am, me and Georgina, we had quite difficult moments, because we don't understand why it happened to us. It was difficult, to be honest. It was very, very difficult to understand what's going on in that period of our lives.

"As you know, the football carries on, so fast, so many competitions, the football doesn't stop. Passing through that moment, was probably the most difficult moment that I've had in my life, me and my family, especially Gio, that was tough."