a) Floyd Mayweather
b) Cristiano Ronaldo
c) Lionel Messi
d) Roger Federer
Lionel Messi has topped the Forbes 2019 list as the world’s highest-paid athlete for the first time, dethroning boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather. Messi earned a total of $US127 million in the last 12 months including $92m from salary and winnings and an additional $35m from endorsements.