# Messi and Ronaldo financial and investment activities > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/messi-and-ronaldo-financial-and-investment-activities > Updated: 2026-10-25T06:10:46.000Z. Sources: 43. Developments: 5. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continue to maintain dominant financial positions in the football world while diversifying their interests. Messi is utilizing his investment firm, Play Time HoldCo, to fund technology startups specializing in robotics, voice AI, and spatial intelligence. His portfolio includes companies such as World Labs, FieldAI, and SuperAnnotate, aiming to move AI into the physical world. Ronaldo is focusing his investment strategy on health technology, human performance, and AI-driven data. Financially, Ronaldo has achieved historic milestones, becoming the first active athlete to surpass $2 billion in total career gross earnings. This follows his previous milestone of becoming the first footballer to exceed $1 billion six years ago. For the 2026/27 period, Ronaldo is projected to earn approximately $300 million, with roughly $250 million from his Al Nassr contract and $50 million from commercial ventures and endorsements. He topped the Forbes football rich list with earnings of £225 million, including a daily salary at Al-Nassr estimated at £488,000. Messi follows in second place with estimated annual earnings of approximately £109 million (or roughly $150 million total income), split between football and endorsements. While Ronaldo leads in total earnings, Messi generates higher annual revenue from commercial partnerships, earning roughly $75 million compared to Ronaldo’s $50 million. Messi is also projected to potentially approach the $2 billion career earnings threshold in the coming year. Other high-ranking players include Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Vinícius Júnior, and Lamine Yamal. ## Claims - Forbes released a report on Monday identifying the highest-earning football players for 2026. (corroborated by 4 sources) - Cristiano Ronaldo earned a total of 300 million dollars in 2026. (corroborated by 4 sources) - Lionel Messi ranked second with 145 million dollars in earnings. (corroborated by 4 sources) - Kylian Mbappe ranked third with 100 million dollars in earnings. (corroborated by 4 sources) - Mohamed Salah was the only Arab player in the top ten, ranking tenth with 40 million dollars. (corroborated by 3 sources) - The total expected revenue for the top ten players is 942 million dollars. (single source) ## Timeline ### 2026-10-25: Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first active athlete to surpass $2 billion in career earnings Cristiano Ronaldo is the first active athlete to surpass $2 billion in career earnings, fueled by his Al-Nassr contract and global endorsements. Lionel Messi is expected to reach the milestone next. 8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/cristiano-ronaldo-becomes-first-active-athlete-to-surpass-2-billion-in-career-earnings ### 2026-10-22: Cristiano Ronaldo becomes football’s first multi-billionaire Cristiano Ronaldo has become football's first multi-billionaire, earning £225 million this year through his Al-Nassr salary and various endorsements. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/cristiano-ronaldo-becomes-footballs-first-multi-billionaire ### 2026-10-20: Cristiano Ronaldo tops Forbes list of highest-paid footballers Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid footballer for 2026/27 with $300 million in earnings, followed by Lionel Messi ($145 million) and Kylian Mbappé ($100 million). 24 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/cristiano-ronaldo-tops-list-of-highest-paid-footballers ### 2026-10-18: Cristiano Ronaldo tops 2026 Forbes list of highest-earning football players Cristiano Ronaldo leads the 2026 Forbes list of highest-earning football players with 300 million dollars, followed by Lionel Messi at 145 million dollars and Kylian Mbappe at 100 million dollars. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/cristiano-ronaldo-tops-2026-forbes-list-of-highest-earning-football-players ### 2026-10-05: Messi and Ronaldo pivot to AI investments and top global earnings Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are diversifying into AI and health tech investments while remaining among the world's highest-earning athletes, with projected annual incomes reaching $150M to $300M. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/messi-and-ronaldo-pivot-to-ai-investments-and-top-global-earnings --- Cite as: Messi and Ronaldo financial and investment activities. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/messi-and-ronaldo-financial-and-investment-activities