Barcelona and Argentina striker Lionel Messi dethroned five-division boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather as the highest paid athlete over the past year, according to the annual list published by business magazine Forbes on Tuesday. Messi, who scored 36 goals while leading Barcelona to the La Liga title this year, earned $127 million (£100 million) between his salary and endorsements to move up one spot on the list of the world's 100 highest-paid athletes. Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo ($109 million), Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar ($105 million), Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez ($94 million) and Swiss tennis great Roger Federer ($93.4 million) rounded out the top five. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)