British author Rowling tops Forbes's European celebrity rich list for 2017 with projected earnings of $95m – $2m more than the Real Madrid forward.
However, Ronaldo will be pleased to know he's still the year's highest-paid sportsman in the world, ahead of basketball icon LeBron James and rival Lionel Messi.
According to Forbes's rankings, the 32-year-old comes fifth in the overall celebrity list (behind Drake, Rowling, Beyonce and Diddy), with Messi 14th.
In terms of footballers in the European rankings, Gareth Bale comes in joint-18th with $34m earnings, followed by Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 20th with $32m.
Forbes's European Celebrity Rich List 2017
1. J.K. Rowling: UK, $95 million
2. Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal, $93m
3. Coldplay: UK, $88m
4. Adele: UK, $69m
5. Roger Federer: Switzerland, $64m
-6. Elton John: UK, $60m
-6. Gordon Ramsay: UK, $60m
7. Paul McCartney: UK, $54m
8. Rory McIlroy: UK, $50m
9. Calvin Harris: UK, $48m
10. Lewis Hamilton: UK, $46m
11. Simon Cowell: UK, $43.5m
12. Tiesto: Holland, $39m
13. Sebastian Vettel: Germany, $38.5m
14. Novak Djokovic: Serbia, $37.6m
15. Ed Sheeran: UK, $37m
16. Fernando Alonso: Spain, $36m
18. Gareth Bale: UK, $34m
18. Conor McGregor: Ireland, $34m
20. Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Sweden $32m
'Did I say no to Liverpool last summer? Yes, I did. But I'll be very clear: if this offer had come at the end of August, just before the end of the transfer window, I would have accepted it' Reds target admits he turned down Arne Slot's project
Manchester City ready to sell Phil Foden, in shock transfer listing: report
