Al Nassr striker, Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as Forbes highest-paid athlete for 2024.

This is the third consecutive year he’s claiming the top spot.

The 40-year-old banked around £206.6million in 2024, which is £11.2m more than in 2023.

Ronaldo is believed to earn £177million-a-year salary at the Saudi club, which he joined from Manchester United in December 2022.

He is ahead of NBA’s Steph Curry and British boxer Tyson Fury.

Ronaldo’s longtime rival Lionel Messi drops to fifth place from third place in 2024.

TOP 10 HIGHEST-PAID ATHLETES

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – £206.6m ($275m)

2. Stephen Curry – £117.1m ($156m)

3. Tyson Fury – £109.5m ($146m)

4. Dak Prescott £102.8m ($137m)

5. Lionel Messi £101.3m ($135m)

6. LeBron James £100.4m ($133.8m)

7. Juan Soto £85.5m ($114m)

8. Karim Benzema £78m ($104m)

9. Shohei Ohtani £76.9m ($102.5m)

10. Kevin Durant £76.1m ($101.4m)

Barcelona have been crowned champions of LaLiga after a Lamine Yamal-inspired 2-0 win at Espanyol

Second-half goals from Yamal and Fermin Lopez either side of Leandro Cabrera’s sending off for Espanyol secure a league and cup double for head coach Hansi Flick in his first season in charge.

Seventeen-year-old Yamal, a league winner for the second time, found the top corner with a pinpoint, curling strike from the edge of the box to open the scoring after 53 minutes.

Yamal, who Cabrera struck to earn a red card with 10 minutes left, then set up fellow La Masia graduate Lopez in stoppage time to extend their lead against their rivals Espanyol.

Barcelona have dethroned rivals Real Madrid, who they beat in the Copa del Rey final last month.

The treble was still a possibility until earlier this month, when Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League by Inter Milan in one of the great semi-final ties, losing 7-6 on aggregate.

Barcelona won their 28th Spanish title with two games to spare, but are still some way off matching Real Madrid’s tally of 36.

Nigeria’s hopes of winning the 2025 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations have come to an end following a narrow 1-0 defeat to South Africa’s Amajita in Thursday’s semifinal clash, held on May 15, 2025.

Led by coach Aliyu Zubairu, the Flying Eagles entered the contest on the back of a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Senegal in the quarterfinals—a win that also secured their qualification for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup. However, their AFCON journey fell short of the final hurdle.

The semifinal was a tense, tactical encounter, with both sides relying heavily on counter-attacking football. Despite dominating possession, the Flying Eagles struggled to convert their control into clear-cut chances, and the first half ended goalless.

The second half brought a major setback for Nigeria when 15-year-old goalkeeper Ebenezer Ifeanyi-Harcourt was forced off due to injury. He was replaced in the 51st minute by Ajia Soliu Yakub.

Yakub, however, was unable to prevent South Africa from breaking the deadlock. In the 66th minute, Tylon Christopher Smith rose to meet a cross and headed home what would prove to be the match-winner.

Despite late substitutions and a push for an equalizer, Nigeria couldn’t find a way back into the game, allowing South Africa to advance to the final while the Flying Eagles were left to reflect on what might have been.