Ronaldo and Messi make the list in Forbes highest paid athletes of all time

Most athletes will kill to be on this list right now.  Being on this list shows how successful you are as an athlete.

Forbes has released a list of the highest paid athletes of all time. Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have made their way into Forbes alongside another footballer; David Beckham. Other popular athletes on the list are Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Floyd Mayweather.

Barcelona star Messi is ranked in 17th on the list, having earned £413m during his career while rival Ronaldo is 14th on the list after earning a total of £493m during his career.

20. Manny Pacquiao (£389 million)

18. Jeff Gordon (£409 million)

19. Oscar De La Hoya (£405 million)

17. Lionel Messi (£413 million)

16. Alex Rodriguez (£477 million)

15. Roger Federer (£477 million)

14. Cristiano Ronaldo (£493 million)

13. Lebron James (£508 million)

12. Greg Norman (£540 million)

11. Mike Tyson (£544 million)

10. Shaquille O’Neal (£556 million)

9. David Beckham (£580 million)

8. Phil Mickelson (£604 million)

7. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (£608 million)

6. Kobe Bryant (£612 million)

5. Michael Schumacher (£794 million)

4. Jack Nicklaus (£914 million)

3. Arnold Palmer (£1.07 billion)

2. Tiger Woods (£1.31 billion)

1. Michael Jordan (£1.35 billion)



Former England captain David Beckham is higher on the list than both Messi and Ronaldo, sitting pretty in ninth having earned a whopping £580m in his career.