From rags to riches- history has seen many footballers who started off with a childhood of poverty but reached peak success in their career as one of the richest sportspersons all over the world. But being the first footballer in history to earn $1 billion? Yes, that milestone has been achieved by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo, another astounding record made by the Portuguese icon.
According to Forbes’ list of world’s highest-paid athletes of 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo has made a total earning of a whopping $105 million between 1st June of 2019 and 2020. The Juventus FC talisman has been ranked 2nd in the list, behind Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer.
In his 17 years of senior football career that started all the back in 2003 with Sporting CP, Ronaldo has earned $650 million from his wages only, which is expected to go up to $765 million by 2022 when his contract with the Old Lady expires, and the rest have come as forms of endorsements.
The 35 year old goal machine also has a lifetime contract with Nike, which lands him $20 million each year. In the past year, $45 million of Ronaldo’s total earnings have come from endorsements only, with the rest of $60 million for his time on the pitch, as reported by Forbes.
The American business magazine also said that Ronaldo is the third athlete ever to hit the $1 billion mark, after golf veteran Tiger Woods and former professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Nick Harris of Sporting Intelligence, who conducts the Global Sports Salaries Survey, said that Ronaldo is a ‘box office.’
“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players of all time, in the world’s most popular sport, in an era when football has never been so rich,” Harris spoke to Settimi.
The 5 times Ballon d’Or winner’s net worth is often seen in his lavish lifestyle. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star owns numerous penthouses, and even has his own private jet, a Gulfstream G650, which costs $70 million.
From a Rolex GMT Master Ice on his wrist valued at $497,000 the costliest Rolex ever produced, to the supercars such as a Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, BMW M6, Bentley GT Speed, Aston Martin DB9, Audi R8, Rolls Royce Phantom and a Bugatti Veyron that grace Ronaldo’s garage spaces, the superstar footballer’s celebrity lifestyle in’t a stranger to his fanbase worldwide.
However, his earning are not only limited to supercars and private jets. Ronaldo has been associated with numerous charities and welfare organisations, and reportedly donated $7.8 million to ‘Save the Children’ to help the victims of Nepal earthquake.
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