Cristiano Ronaldo has officially crossed the $1 billion(KSh129.2 Billion) net worth mark, becoming the first active footballer in history to achieve the feat.
The news comes after the prestigious Bloomberg Billionaires Index (A daily ranking of the world’s 500 wealthiest people) included the Portuguese star’s fortune in its valuation for the first time.
Ronaldo’s milestone solidifies his place not just as a sporting legend, but as one of the most successful commercial figures globally. His immense wealth comes from a perfect storm of unparalleled football salaries, lucrative lifetime deals, and a burgeoning business empire.
While Ronaldo was already a wealthy man, his monumental move to the Middle East sealed his billionaire status. In 2023, he signed a deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, which marked a significant divergence from the salaries of his long-time rival, Lionel Messi.
His current contract in the Saudi Pro League is designed to boost his income dramatically in the final years of his career.
His annual earnings from the Al-Nassr contract are reported to be around $200 million (Ksh 25.84 Billion), which includes his salary and commercial bonuses. In Saudi Arabia his earnings are reportedly tax-free, which dramatically increases his net income. His agreement reportedly includes an equity stake in the club, marking a key step towards future club ownership.
“Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr was more than just a transfer; it was a career-defining business decision that leveraged his global brand into an unprecedented tax-free fortune.”
Ronaldo’s lasting legacy on the balance sheet is his foresight in brand management. He turned his initials and shirt number, CR7, into a multi-million-pound global enterprise that extends far beyond the football pitch.
This business legacy is often cited as the primary reason he achieved billionaire status while still playing, a feat previously reserved for retired legends like Michael Jordan and golf’s Tiger Woods.
His decade-long, reported lifetime deal with Nike brings in around $18 million(Ksh 2.3 billion) annually. He also holds major partnerships with brands like Armani, Castrol, and Herbalife. He also has the Pestana CR7 hotel chain, and his line of fitness gyms has cemented his presence in the hospitality and wellness sectors. Ronaldo also has the CR7 line includes fashion apparel, underwear, and a successful range of fragrances, and lasty with over 665 million followers on Instagram, Ronaldo is the most followed person in the world. This platform allows him to command astronomical fees for paid posts and acts as a constant, free promotional engine for his businesses.
The Bloomberg Billionaires Index (BBI) is a daily ranking of the world’s richest individuals. It is highly regarded for its transparent methodology.
Unlike some traditional wealth lists, the BBI is updated every day after the close of trading in New York, making it a dynamic measure of personal wealth. It calculates net worth by tracking publicly traded stock prices and estimating the value of private assets and business holdings, like Ronaldo’s CR7 brand and real estate portfolio.
Ronaldo’s achievement sets a new financial benchmark for the sport. While his rival Lionel Messi has career pre-tax earnings comparable to Ronaldo’s pre-Saudi earnings, Messi’s current MLS contract is less lucrative in terms of immediate cash flow. However, Messi is expected to receive an equity stake in Inter Miami upon retirement, which could significantly boost his net worth in the future.
Ronaldo’s journey from a modest background in Madeira to a globally recognised, self-made billionaire proves that the world’s most talented athletes can now build lasting financial institutions alongside their sporting legacies.
