He dropped out of school at the age of 14 to build a historic legacy on the playing field and a big fortune. He is reportedly worth USD1.4 billion.
Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved an unprecedented feat off the pitch, becoming the first footballer to enter the billionaire club, fuelled by his contract with the Saudi club Al-Nassr.
After more than 20 years of shining for some of Europe's biggest clubs, from Manchester United to Real Madrid and Juventus, Ronaldo has continued to leverage his star power into huge endorsement deals with brands like Nike and Armani.
However, the real leap in his fortune came last June, when he signed a contract extension with Saudi club Al-Nassr worth more than $400 million, bringing his net worth to $1.4 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Competition with Messi
Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have long shared the top spot in football's salary rankings, but 2023 has seen a major shift. While Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia, Messi chose to play in the Major League Soccer (MLS) with Inter Miami.
However, although the Argentine star will receive a stake in the American club after his retirement, his income over the past two years has been less than Ronaldo’s, who receives approximately $200 million annually, in addition to several other benefits, according to Bloomberg.
An amazing rise from poverty to billionaire
Ronaldo was born on the Portuguese island of Madeira, amid difficult living conditions, and was forced to leave school at the age of 14 to devote himself to football. After shining at Sporting Lisbon, he moved to Manchester United in 2003, then to Real Madrid in a record-breaking deal in 2009, beginning a journey of huge contracts and record-breaking figures.
While Aurelio Pereira, his discoverer at Sporting, described him as an "alien" due to his extraordinary talent, today airports, museums, and hotels in Madeira bear his name, a testament to his profound impact on his homeland.
A wealth of contracts, endorsements, and real estate
From 2002 to 2023, Ronaldo earned over $550 million in wages, along with an $18 million-a-year endorsement deal with Nike and other deals with Castrol and Armani, which added $175 million to his fortune. He also received a $30 million signing bonus upon his transfer to Al-Nassr.
Messi, meanwhile, has earned over $600 million before taxes, but he still lags behind Ronaldo's fortune, despite having a revenue-sharing agreement with Apple.
Messi's wealth is managed by his financial advisor, Miguel Marques, who works out of a luxury office in the heart of Lisbon. Ronaldo is known for his loyalty to his friends in his investments, having participated in local projects such as the City of Padel Club and acquired the Lisboa Racquet Center in 2024 with the help of his friend Miguel Baixao dos Santos.
While he owns a chain of hotels, gyms, and the CR7 brand, these ventures are not the primary source of his wealth.
Luxury real estate and tours to see his home
Ronaldo also owns luxury properties, most notably a mansion in Madeira and a penthouse in Lisbon that broke the price record per square meter. He is completing construction of a luxury villa in the Quinta da Marinha resort near Lisbon, costing nearly €20 million.
The new home has aroused the curiosity of residents and tourists, who flock to the adjacent golf course to see the mansion. Even the landowner, Miguel Champalimaud, has had to ban unofficial tours of the home. Ronaldo is also the most-followed person in the world. On Instagram, he has over 660 million followers.
Wealth from salary, not investments
Perhaps what distinguishes Ronaldo's wealth from that of other billionaire athletes is that the majority of it comes from his salary, rather than from investments. For example, tennis legend Roger Federer amassed his fortune from his stake in the sportswear company "On". Michael Jordan, a former professional baseball and basketball player, built his financial empire from long-term endorsement deals with Nike and his minority stake in the American Charlotte Hornets,a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina despite his player salary not exceeding $100 million.
As he ages, Ronaldo is nearing retirement, and he has previously stated that he expects to end his career at Al-Nassr. However, he has no intention of abandoning football; rather, he dreams of owning multiple clubs, following in the footsteps of David Beckham, owner of Inter Miami.
However, with the wealth he has amassed, it seems his options after retirement will be diverse, and perhaps even more exciting than his on-field career.