Neymar is out, Vinicius Júnior holds on, and Brazil shrinks in the ranking of the world's highest-paid athletes, which now features Cristiano Ronaldo and the NBA as major protagonists.

Neymar is out, Vinicius Júnior holds on, and Brazil shrinks in the ranking of the world’s highest-paid athletes, which now features Cristiano Ronaldo and the NBA as major protagonists.

Written by Viviane Alves

Published on 22/05/2026 at 13:06

Updated on 22/05/2026 at 13:07

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Real Madrid forward appears as the only Brazilian on the global list, while Neymar leaves the survey and basketball strengthens among the highest salaries in sports

The Brazilian presence among the highest-paid athletes in the world has decreased in the new ranking released by Forbes magazine.

Only Vinicius Júnior, forward for Real Madrid, appears among the 50 athletes with the highest annual earnings on the planet.

The player occupies the 34th position, with estimated earnings of US$ 60 million, about R$ 300.03 million.

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Brazilian presence shrinks in global ranking

The previous Forbes survey had two Brazilians among the highest-paid athletes in the world.

Neymar appeared in the 25th position, with estimated earnings of US$ 76 million, about R$ 380 million at the current exchange rate.

Vinicius Júnior occupied the 46th place, with US$ 55 million, approximately R$ 275.03 million.

Neymar was left out of the new list. As a result, Vini Jr. became the only Brazilian representative in the global ranking.

Cristiano Ronaldo remains absolute at the top

Football remains at the top among sports with the greatest financial impact.

Cristiano Ronaldo leads the Forbes ranking for the fourth consecutive year.

The Portuguese forward accumulated estimated earnings of US$ 300 million, about R$ 1.5 billion.

The amount matches the highest annual earnings ever recorded by the publication for an athlete.

NBA gains space among the highest salaries

Basketball appears with strong growth in the list of highest earnings.

The NBA has 20 players among the 50 highest-paid athletes in the world.

The North American league gained four more representatives compared to the previous survey.

According to Forbes, the increase in salaries in the main basketball league in the United States boosted the athletes’ earnings.

List shows record minimum value to enter the ranking

The tennis player Jannik Sinner appears in the 50th position of the ranking.

The athlete recorded estimated earnings of US$ 54.6 million, about R$ 273.03 million.

According to Forbes, this is the highest minimum value ever recorded for an athlete to enter the list.

The ranking includes athletes from 18 countries and eight sports, reinforcing the global dimension of the survey.

What does this change reveal about Brazilian sports?

The departure of Neymar and the permanence of Vinicius Júnior show an important change in the Brazilian presence in world sports.

Brazil appears with only one name on the Forbes list, while Cristiano Ronaldo remains at the top and the NBA is rapidly growing.

The financial performance of Vini Jr. concentrates the national representation among the highest-paid athletes on the planet.

Do you think Brazil will have more names in this ranking in the coming years?

Neymar is out, Vinicius Júnior holds on, and Brazil shrinks in the ranking of the world’s highest-paid athletes, which now features Cristiano Ronaldo and the NBA as major protagonists.

Real Madrid forward appears as the only Brazilian on the global list, while Neymar leaves the survey and basketball strengthens among the highest salaries in sports

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Neymar is out, Vinicius Júnior holds on, and Brazil shrinks in the ranking of the world’s highest-paid athletes, which now features Cristiano Ronaldo and the NBA as major protagonists.

Real Madrid forward appears as the only Brazilian on the global list, while Neymar leaves the survey and basketball strengthens among the highest salaries in sports

Brazilian presence shrinks in global ranking

Cristiano Ronaldo remains absolute at the top

NBA gains space among the highest salaries

Starship V3 from SpaceX faces its 12th flight with unprecedented technology, rapid reuse, and plans that could bring humans closer to the Moon and Mars.

List shows record minimum value to enter the ranking

What does this change reveal about Brazilian sports?

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