The Friday File: For the year ending 6/17, the world’s highest paid athlete was soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who earned $93 million, followed by LeBron James, who brought home $86 million. Another soccer player, Lionel Messi was third with $80 million while tennis star Roger Federer was fourth at $64 million. The top 100 athletes earned a combined $3.1 billion, and the threshold to make the list; $21.4 million.