Cristiano Ronaldo at the pinnacle: the Portuguese becomes the first billionaire footballer

Two months after signing a historic new contract with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Cristiano Ronaldo joins the exclusive club of billionaires. He becomes the first footballer to achieve this feat.

Never before has a footballer been so well paid. And yet, at over 40 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo is closer to the end than the beginning of his career. Nevertheless, with 103 goals in 116 matches since joining Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, the Portuguese star continues to rack up goals. This is why he extended his contract with the Saudi club for two years last June with a staggering salary of €200 million per year, a record for a footballer.

Add to that the €60 million from his image rights, and the figures are absolutely staggering, amounting to over €16.6 million per month and even €548,000 per day! This explains how the Portuguese star became the very first footballer to become a billionaire, reports RMC Sport. According to Bloomberg, his fortune is estimated at $1.4 billion (€1.2 billion).

Cristiano Ronaldo is paid more than Lionel Messi

Despite these staggering figures and his business acumen, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to shine on the pitch and will participate in the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States with the Seleção. "That's what motivates me: competing with the younger generation," he said at the Portuguese football gala in early October. Currently, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star still seems to be enjoying himself in Saudi Arabia, playing alongside French players Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan, as well as Aymeric Laporte, Sadio Mané, and his compatriot João Félix.

Currently, Cristiano Ronaldo is significantly better paid than his long-time rival, Lionel Messi, whose annual salary in Miami is around €17 million, even when his advertising contracts are included, bringing his total income to over €124 million. However, according to Bloomberg, Messi could get closer to that figure when he retires, as he may own a stake in the Florida franchise.

For comparison, the third highest-paid footballer is none other than Neymar (€101 million), ahead of the two Frenchmen Karim Benzema (€96 million) and Kylian Mbappé (€83 million), the latter being the only one playing in Europe. Across all sports, Cristiano Ronaldo also ranks far ahead of basketball player Stephen Curry and boxer Tyson Fury, earning €139 million and €130 million respectively.