While many consider Lionel Messi to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s rival on the football pitch, Forbes has revealed that Ronaldo’s rival celebrity cash earner is none other than Dr. Phil McGraw of the Dr. Phil show.
Taylor Swift ($170 million), One Direction ($110 million) and author James Patterson ($95 million) easily dwarf the rest of the competition, but Ronaldo and Dr. Phil are neck and neck at $88 million over the course of 2016.
Cristiano Ronaldo, tied for #4 on our #Celeb100 list, made $88M last year: https://t.co/fiHMOfxjyl pic.twitter.com/tqYTADnaX3
— Forbes (@Forbes) July 13, 2016
Ronaldo’s massive salary for Real Madrid and endorsements with Nike, Tag Heuer and Monster headphones just couldn’t put him past what Dr. Phil earned from his daytime talk show and work for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
Cristiano Ronaldo might've scored 51 goals for Real Madrid last year, but Dr. Phil is suing the National Enquirer for over $250 million. Both are fine achievements in their own respects.
There’s no shame in drawing with Dr. Phil, after all, he enjoys a ringing personal endorsement from Oprah Winfrey, and he’s a shrewd businessman. As Dr. Phil himself would say, "I want you to get excited about your life!". Ronaldo's duly obliged by winning both the Champions League and European Championship in 2016.
Ronaldo can take heart from the fact that his nemesis Messi could only finish eighth, taking in a measly $81.5 million. That number could take a further hit after his tax fraud charges are put behind him, #WeAreAllLeoMessi.
The other footballers on the list include Brazilian captain and Barcelona star Neymar ($37.5 million), Manchester United’s latest signing Zlatan Ibrahimvoic ($37.5 million), and Welsh Euro 2016 hero Gareth Bale ($36 million).
Looking at these gargantuan sums of income reminds me that I have to pay a parking ticket, or I'll most likely receive a heavier fine and then I'll be unable to pay my internet bill. I should've majored in psychology.
Follow me on Twitter: @ConmanFleming
