Cristiano Ronaldo became the first footballer in history to become a billionaire
This is reported by ThePublic.info citing Bloomberg.
The Portuguese footballer re-signed a contract with Saudi "Al-Nassr" in June 2025. The new agreement with Ronaldo is valid until June 2027.
According to Bloomberg, Ronaldo's contract value exceeds 400 million dollars. The footballer managed to avoid taxation on this amount due to Saudi Arabian legislation. He also earns from deals with brands like Armani and Nike.
According to Bloomberg's billionaire index, after re-signing the contract, Ronaldo's wealth increased to 1.4 billion dollars. Thanks to this, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner became the first footballer to cross the billion-dollar earnings mark.
Compared to Ronaldo, according to Bloomberg's wealth index, other athletes have accumulated smaller fortunes. For instance, tennis player Roger Federer, as of summer 2025, had assets worth 1.3 billion dollars, while legendary basketball player Michael Jordan earned less than 100 million dollars over his career. Overall, no athlete has entered the top 500 richest people in the world.
"People, especially my family, say it's time to stop because I've done everything, they ask why I want to score a thousand goals. But I don't think so. I believe I still do good things, help my club and national team, and why not continue?" — said Ronaldo, as quoted by ESPN.
"I'm confident that when I finish, I will feel I have done enough because I gave my all. I know I don't have many years left, but in the few I have, I plan to enjoy them to the fullest," — added the Portuguese.
The forward is the top scorer in the history of national teams with 141 goals in 223 matches for Portugal.
The 40-year-old Ronaldo is currently one of the oldest players still continuing his career. The footballer has stated that he plans to end his career at "Al-Nassr".
