Online Reporter
HE has never been short of things to boast about — but now Cristiano Ronaldo can add becoming the first football BILLIONAIRE to his extraordinary record.
The Portuguese super striker has just signed an incredible two-year deal worth £298million.
He will be paid £12.5million a month after agreeing to stay at Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
And that pay packet has helped turn Ronaldo into football’s first billionaire, according to financial information experts Bloomberg.
It based the valuation on his salary from 2002 to 2023 and reported earnings from deals and sponsorship.
His monthly wage with the Saudi team is more than Argentine superstar Lionel Messi earns at Inter Miami in the US in a YEAR and means he is worth twice as much as ex-England captain David Beckham. On top of his eye-watering earnings, 40-year-old Ronaldo has raked in £410million through endorsements over the past two decades, including £13.4million a year from Nike.
His Al-Nassr deal came with two chefs, three gardeners, four security guards, a private jet and three drivers. It’s a remarkable rise from humble beginnings for a man who once shared a bedroom with his siblings in a cramped home on the island of Madeira and, aged 12, would ask for leftovers from McDonald’s.
But Ronaldo might have been a bit stingy when he splashed out an estimated £4million for his fiancée Georgina Rodriguez’s 30-carat diamond engagement ring.
The tradition is that the husband-to-be should spend a month’s wages on this symbol of commitment — but Ronaldo only coughed up a third of that amount.
‘I make short-term plans’
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star is also defying norms by having such a long career.
He will still be playing aged 42 and is expected to start for Portugal at the World Cup in the US next year
When he picked up an award in his homeland this week, though, Ronaldo wouldn’t be drawn on when he plans to retire.
He said: “You can’t make long-term plans. I make short-term plans because it gives me more energy that way — more of a desire to live.”
Not making definite plans has allowed the canny businessman to hold out for a better club deal.
When Ronaldo’s contract with Al-Nassr ended this summer, there was speculation he would sign a megabucks contract with a US side.
But no American team can match the Saudis’ financial clout.
Al Nassr is owned by the country’s Public Investment Fund, whose chairman is Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The oil-rich nation’s state-owned fund has assets of around £700billion, so can easily afford to pay Ronaldo £298million.
The five-time Ballon d’Or player of the year winner has become the poster boy for the Arab country, which is trying to pitch itself as a leading sporting destination.
A few weeks ago the footballer posted paid content to his 665million Instagram followers saying, “I came here to do what I love, but I #StayedForMore”, alongside images of golf, boxing, Formula One and tennis events in Saudi.
Earlier this year Ronaldo went to the Saudi Cup horse race in the capital Riyadh with the prince and two weeks ago held up a ceremonial sword for the country’s National Day.
The biggest event of all will be when Saudi hosts the football World Cup in 2034, although surely even Ronaldo will be too old to lace up his boots for that one.
On signing his deal with Al Nassr on Wednesday, the star dismissed the notion it wasn’t top level.
He said in garbled English: “Only the people who have never played in Saudi, they don’t understand nothing about football, say this league is not top five.” -Sun
