Ronaldo, Mayweather and McGregor among Forbes’ richest athletes list

Cristiano Ronaldo was the world's highest-earning athlete of 2015, according to Forbes.

His $88m ($56m salary + $32m endorsements) saw him beat out Lionel Messi ($81.4m) and LeBron James ($77.2m) who completed the top three. Lewis Hamilton was the top-earning Brit, coming in at number 11 with $46m, of which $42m came from Formula 1 earnings and just $4m from endorsements. Only four others from the UK made the top 100: Rory McIlroy, Gareth Bale, Wayne Rooney and Andy Murray. A very lucrative year for Conor McGregor saw him crack into the top 100 for the first time. The UFC featherweight champion came in joint 85th level with Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz, earning a cool $22m. The bulk of McGregor's earnings came from his winnings and salary, as just $4m was from endorsements. https://twitter.com/JOE_co_uk/status/688291361993392128 Ronaldo is one of just three Europeans in the top 10, alongside tennis stars Roger Federer (4th) and Novak Djokovic (6th). Federer's $60m in endorsements is the highest overall figure in that category. Floyd Mayweather came in at 16th spot with $44m, an impressive feat considering he retired last year. To check out the full list of 100 athletes, click here.