CRISTIANO RONALDO is one of the greatest footballers of his generation – and his earnings match his success.
Cristiano Ronaldo played for Juventus after leaving Real MadridEPA
CR7 is the world’s most popular athlete with over 200 million social media followers, helping him land head-to-toe sponsorships including Nike,Tag Heuer, Sacoor Brothers suits and Monster headphones.
Here SunSport tries to fathom the most glamorous footballer in the world’s net worth…
Cristiano Ronaldo opens his Pestena CR7 hotel in the Madeira capital of FunchalGetty Images
What is Cristiano Ronaldo’s main income?
While currently a free agent, Ronaldo does not collect a weekly wage.
Meanwhile, his lifetime contract with the sportswear manufacturers Nike, which began in 2003, is worth an astonishing £1billion in itself.
Those two agreements will push the Portuguese sensation into uncharted waters as he becomes football’s first billionaire.
Ronaldo’s burgeoning business empire also includes two hotels at present, underwear, CR7 blankets, facial fitness devices and shampoo, to name but a few.
The Portuguese is an ambassador for brands such as KFC
What sponsorship deals does Ronaldo have?
There are almost too many to mention, but Nike is the main one – and it is the single biggest sponsorship deal in the world for a sport star, bringing Ronaldo in over £169m last year alone.
A selection of others includes:
Armani: He replaced his former Manchester United David Beckham for the endorsement of the Armani. Ronaldo modeling for the Emporio Armani men’s underwear and Jeans.
Castrol: Ronaldo became the brand Ambassador of Castrol in 2009 by signing deal of £8.2m for two years. He extended his affiliation with Castrol as he renewed the contract with £5.5m.
Tag Heuer: He joined the luxury watch brand Tag Heuer in 2014, as long term brand Ambassador.
Others include Coca Cola, KFC, video games maker Konami and airline Emirates.
Ronaldo models his new CR7 home range of underwearGetty Images
Does Ronaldo have his own ranges and companies?
You bet he does. As well as lending his name to other brands, he his own CR7 logo is hugely popular.
Named after Cristiano Ronaldo himself, it is his personal brand of underwear – but now he has expanded it with different categories like sportswear and footwear, and sock collection.
As well as that, he has has his own hotels in Portugal’s capital Lisbon, and his hometown of Funchal on the island of Madeira.
His hobbies are many, but mainly include cars (he drives a £207,000 Lamborghini Aventador, along with a Maserati), as well as property and to his credit, a lot of charity work.
The Portuguese became the best paid sportsman in the world at MadridGetty Images
Is Ronaldo worth it?
Ronaldo left Real Madrid as the highest scorer in their history after joining the Spanish club from Manchester United in 2009 for a then-record £80m million transfer fee.
He led the team to three Champions League crowns, including in 2016 when Ronaldo hit the game-winning kick in a penalty shoot-out to defeat Atletico Madrid.
Added to that, he has won a record five Ballon d’Or trophies, including one in 2008 when he was at United.
Ronaldo topped off a magical year in 2016 with the Euro triumph over France his first international trophy.
So what is Ronaldo’s total net worth?
It is actually hard to estimate exactly, but somewhere between £210m and £230m factoring in our lack of exact knowledge into his various deals, and discrepancies in how much he earns.
But what is undisputed is that he is the best paid football AND overall sportsman in the world, beating basketball start LeBron James and his Barcelona footballing nemesis Lionel Messi into second and third.
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