Portuguese world football legend Cristiano Ronaldo has entered the list of world billionaires, according to Bloomberg, becoming the first football player to reach a fortune exceeding one billion dollars.
Bloomberg revealed in its report that the net worth of Ronaldo (40 years old), the Saudi Al-Nasr club striker, amounted to about $1.4 billion (£1.04 billion), after taking into account his long football career that spanned more than two decades, in addition to his investments and advertising deals.
The agency explained that between 2002 and 2023, Ronaldo received more than $550 million in salaries, and also benefited from major sponsorship contracts, most notably an agreement with Nike, which lasted for ten years and provided him with approximately $18 million annually.
When he moved to Al-Nasr Club in the Saudi Professional League in 2022, he became the highest-paid player in football history, with an annual contract that reached 177 million pounds sterling.
He also recently renewed his contract for an additional two years until after he turns forty-two, with a total value exceeding $400 million.
On the other hand, the report indicated that Argentine Lionel Messi, the American star of Inter Miami, collected more than $600 million in pre-tax salaries during his career, and is currently receiving $20 million annually since his move to the American League, which is equivalent to only about 10 percent of Ronaldo’s income in the same period, provided that after his retirement he will obtain an ownership stake in his American club.
