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Cristiano Ronaldo topped Forbes' list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career while Spanish golfer Jon Rahm moved up to second following his sensational switch to Saudi-backed LIV Golf.

Ronaldo became the world's highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr and Forbes said the 39-year-old's estimated total earnings were in the region of $260 million, an all-time high for a soccer player.

DOHA — Clubs worldwide spent a record $9.63 billion on international transfers in 2023, an increase of nearly 50% compared to 2022, world soccer's governing body FIFA said in its Global Transfer Report published on Tuesday.

After transfer spending fell in 2020 and 2021 due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, outlays on players have only increased, with last year's total spend seeing an increase of 48.1% compared to 2022.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked President Joe Biden's administration for its views on whether the justices should take up the U.S. Soccer Federation's bid to bar a lawsuit accusing it of conspiring with FIFA to prohibit foreign teams from playing official matches in the United States.

Forbes’ latest report of the highest paid soccer players 2023 reveals that Cristiano Ronaldo has skyrocketed to reclaim No. 1 on the list. Forbes accounts for players’ salaries and off-field income.

Saudi Pro League (SPL) clubs splashed out almost one billion dollars in the transfer window in a bid to boost the domestic competition by attracting some of the world's leading players, according to analysis from Deloitte published on Friday.

How much did Saudi Pro League spend in 2023 summer transfer window?

The outlay of $957 million in the Saudi window, which closed on Sept. 7, exceeded the spending of four of Europe's 'big five' leagues with only England's Premier League clubs splurging more on transfers than those in the Middle Eastern nation.

Spain beat England 1-0 on Sunday in a Women's World Cup final that pitted the two European countries with the strongest domestic leagues against each other.

The Women's World Cup, which began in 1991, has had nine tournaments to date. Meanwhile, men's world cup, started in 1930, has had 22 tournaments so far. 

Here is a comparison between men's and women's soccer over the years.

Men's Versus Women's Soccer Money Comparison

Highest World Cup Prize Purse

Cristiano Ronaldo has yet again left the competition behind as the five-time Ballon D'Or winner was named Instagram top earner for the third year in a row. He beat out some of the world's most famous celebrities, influencers, and athletes to earn his crown as the top paid person on Instagram in 2023.

Ronaldo, who in July was ranked as the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes for the first time since 2017 following his move to Saudi Arabia, has now topped the 2023 Instagram Rich List, a global marker of online influence.