Cristiano Ronaldo becomes highest paid athlete in the world.with Al-Nassr deal

Cristiano Ronaldo has become the highest paid earner in sport after completing his record-breaking move to Saudi side Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo confirmed his move to the Saudi Arabian side on a sensational £175million-a-year contract following his tumultuous exit from Manchester United in November, with Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville describing his latest switch as a 'sad end' to his glittering career.

However, it won't be a sad day for Ronaldo as the lucrative deal will see him surpass his long-term rival Lionel Messi and NBA stars such as Lebron James to become the highest paid athlete in the world.

According to the official 'Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes 2022 List', Lionel Messi had been the top earner of the year prior to Ronaldo's sensational Saudi switch.

The PSG star earns £103.4m per year meaning he is currently top of the Forbes list, and he will be dwarfed in salary by his old rival Ronaldo.

Closely followed behind Messi was LA Lakers star Lebron James, who is the first-ever player to accumulate $1bn in earnings as an active player in the league.

James is also a partner in Fenway Sports Group, meaning he is a part owner in several sporting teams including Liverpool - he earns £101.4m per year.

Messi's PSG team-mate Neymar and NBA star Steph Curry round off the top five with respective earnings of £78.5m and £76.7m from this year.

However, Ronaldo's move will see him trump all of these with his £175m-a-year deal that will also see him become an ambassador for Saudi Arabia's World Cup bid.

Ronaldo had initially dismissed reports that he was set to sign for the Saudi outfit, with sources close to the player telling Sportsmail it was 'nonsense' that a deal had been signed.

Al-Nassr are one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, having being crowned winners of the country's top flight nine times, with their most recent triumph coming in 2019.

Ronaldo had admitted rumours of a €350m (£310m) offer for two seasons from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club in the summer were true - an offer he had declined.

Ronaldo had previously been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Napoli after stunning United officials by telling the club he wanted out in the summer transfer window.