Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest paid footballer in the world ahead of Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo made more earnings this year than Lionel Messi this year

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo features ahead of Barcelona man Lionel Messi to become the biggest earner in football according to the Forbes' 2015 list of the world's highest-paid athletes.

Ronaldo is placed third on the list behind boxers Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao on the list which features 100 athletes from all sports. Mayweather sits at the top with record earnings.of $300 million.

Second placed Pacuiao meanwhile takes home an earning of $160m. Ronaldo who is the top most earner from football made $79.6m and he is followed by Messi who is in fourth after earning $73.8m.

Their rivalry on the pitch is closely matched when it comes to the earnings and this time it is Ronaldo who gets his nose in front. The Portugal international is reported to have picked up a salary of $52.6m for 2015 which was coupled with endorsement earning which came to $27m.

Messi, meanwhile, pocketed a salary of $51.8m and his endorsement deals for 2015 came to $22m. They are the only two footballers who are in the top 10 of the list with Zlatan Ibrahimovic featuring on 14th place with earnings of $39.1m.

In January, a study was done by International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) Football Observatory which said that Messi is the most valuable footballer in the world, ahead of Ronaldo. The debate rages on about who is the best player in the world and most of the times, they match each other’s step. The earnings also suggest that the two are far ahead of the other footballers while at the same time being neck to neck when pitted against each other.

See the world's highest-paid athletes in 2015: http://t.co/HlHTcNNB2W pic.twitter.com/2wKQF3f4Ul

— Forbes (@Forbes) June 10, 2015