Cristiano Ronaldo has reached another extraordinary milestone, becoming football’s first billionaire player. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the 40-year-old Al-Nassr and Portugal captain now boasts a net worth of around $1.4 billion (£1.04bn), a figure that cements his legacy not just as one of football’s greatest athletes but also one of its most successful businessmen.
Ronaldo’s rise to billionaire status is the culmination of more than two decades of excellence, determination and shrewd financial planning. His career earnings exceed $550 million in salary alone, while endorsements and long-term partnerships have added hundreds of millions more. A decade-long deal with Nike, worth nearly $18 million per year, along with agreements with Armani, Castrol and others, have made him a global brand far beyond the football pitch.
His 2022 move to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr marked a turning point both for his career and for global football economics. The deal reportedly made him the highest-paid footballer in history, with an annual salary of £177 million. Earlier this year, Ronaldo extended his contract for another two years, in a package worth over $400 million, keeping him in the Saudi Pro League beyond his 42nd birthday.
This assessment places Ronaldo in an elite group of billionaire athletes, joining icons like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and LeBron James. For Ronaldo, though, it’s not about money. “I still have a passion for this,” he said at the Portugal Football Globes gala. “My family says it’s time to quit, but I don’t think that way. I’m helping my club and the national team. Why not continue?”
Ronaldo’s former rival, Lionel Messi, has earned more than $600 million in pre-tax salary across his career and now holds a stake in Inter Miami (after he retires). Yet even in financial terms, Ronaldo has moved ahead, showing the same competitive edge that defined their battles on the pitch.
