RAGS TO RICHES

Cristiano Ronaldo Becomes the First Billionaire Soccer Player

His net worth is now reportedly $1.4 billion.

Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, has officially made it to billionaire status, marking the first time a soccer player has ever achieved the rank. Over the course of his 23-year professional soccer career, Ronaldo has left his legacy at teams like Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus FC. In December 2022, Ronaldo signed with Saudi Arabian team Al-Nassr for about $200 million per year tax-free, marking the highest salary a soccer player has ever received. In June, Al-Nassr gave Ronaldo a contract extension reportedly worth more than $400 million. With the recent signing, the Portuguese forward’s net worth has been catapulted to $1.4 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which evaluated Ronaldo’s wealth for the first time. But his wealth does not come from soccer alone, as the sports star has also capitalized on multi-million-dollar deals with brands like Nike, Armani and Castrol. Although he’s now a billionaire, Ronaldo initially lived in poverty on the island of Madeira, quitting school at 14 to pursue soccer. Surprisingly, other soccer legends have yet to surpass the billion mark. Lionel Messi’s career has earned him over $600 million in pre-tax salary so far, while David Beckham earned about $100 million before his 2013 retirement.