Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first billionaire player in soccer history, it has been revealed.
A new two-year contract with Al Nassr, reported to be worth a total of $400 million, was just the latest in a long line of lucrative deals for Ronaldo, who has been widely recognized as one of the most valuable figures in the world for the best part of two decades now.
On the pitch, Ronaldo enjoyed lucrative contracts with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus before his move to Saudi Arabia, while he is no stranger to bumper endorsement deals with the likes of Nike and Armani.
In their latest financial analysis, Bloomberg name Ronaldo as soccer’s first-ever billionaire at an overall net worth of $1.4 billion, with his earnings skyrocketing following his move to Al Nassr at the start of 2023.
The Portugal superstar’s wealth stems from over $550 million in salary between 2002 and 2023. His time with Al Nassr has added an additional $200 million per year on top of a signing-on bonus reported to be worth $30 million.
Endorsements for Ronaldo, including a 10-year Nike agreement worth $18 million annually, have helped take his overall net worth well beyond the $1 billion mark.
How Cristiano Ronaldo’s Net Worth Compares to Lionel Messi
Ronaldo moves comfortably clear of long-time career rival Lionel Messi, although the Argentina international is expected to move considerably closer in the coming years once he receives the stake in Major League Soccer side Inter Miami which will be handed to him upon his retirement.
Messi has earned a total of $600 million in pre-tax salary, with his Miami earnings close to $20 million annually. A revenue-sharing deal with Apple has also added to his total but pales in comparison to Ronaldo’s mammoth earnings with Al Nassr.
The Argentina international will, however, see his value fly up once he obtains his stake in Inter Miami, valued by Forbes earlier this year at around $1.2 billion.
That share will only be delivered upon Messi’s retirement, which is still years in the future after an agreement over a multi-year contract extension was reached.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cristiano Ronaldo Reaches Incredible Wealth Milestone.
