Ronaldo joins billionaires league with new Saudi soccer contract
Capping his 23-year career by playing in Saudi Arabia has made Cristiano Ronaldo soccer’s first billionaire.
The Portuguese superstar’s fortune was pegged at $1.4 billion in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which took note of the two-year contract he signed in June with Riyadh’s Al-Nassr team, worth a reported $400 million in tax-free salary and bonuses.
Ronaldo, 40, the all-time top scorer in men’s international soccer, played for some of Europe’s leading clubs before moving to Saudi Arabia, including Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. He is captain of both Al-Nassr and Portugal’s national team.
Off the field, Ronaldo signed a decade-long deal with Nike in 2016 for nearly $18 million annually and endorsed brands including Armani and Castrol that have added over $175 million to his net worth, Bloomberg reports.
With 660 million followers around the world making him the world’s most popular personality on Instagram, Ronaldo has put much of his fortune to work at home.
He has invested heavily in Portuguese media and publishing interests, as well as in branding, real estate and his CR7 business empire that extends into hotels, apparel, and licensing, the news agency reports.