With assets of nearly half a billion USD, how does Cristiano Ronaldo make money?
Every hour, the player who just scored a hat-trick at the 2018 World Cup earns nearly 30,000 USD thanks to salary, bonuses, titles and advertising contracts.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the richest athletes on the planet. The 33-year-old Real Madrid superstar is worth an estimated $450 million.
According to Forbes, from the beginning of the year to June 5, the Portuguese player has earned 108 million USD. Of which, 61 million USD comes from salary, bonuses, titles and 47 million USD from advertising contracts. Thus, every hour Ronaldo pockets nearly 30,000 USD (more than 660 million VND).
Ronaldo began laying the foundation for his successful career at the age of 18 when he signed a contract with Manchester United - the top team in England. Since then, Ronaldo has gradually become a storm in the world of football. To date, CR7 has scored more than 650 goals, and his legs alone are insured for 144 million USD.
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Ronaldo celebrates after scoring a hat-trick against Spain. Photo:BBC |
Ronaldo may not be the highest paid footballer in the world, but his social media presence sets him apart from the rest. Ronaldo has more social media followers than any other footballer, with tens of millions more followers than Messi and Neymar on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
According to Hookit, the player has 323.4 million followers across these platforms. On Instagram alone, he is the third most followed person in the world, with 128 million followers.
That's why sponsors pay a huge amount for each post on Ronaldo's personal page. Hookit estimates that each of CR7's posts has 2.3 million interactions. Therefore, these interactions generate a value of about $1.8 million for each promotional post for brands like Nike. Social media research firm Izea reported that Ronaldo earned $400,000 from each promotional post on Instagram in 2018.
Global brands also want Ronaldo to represent them. He is the face of businesses ranging from watches to cable suppliers.
Ronaldo currently has something no other footballer has: a lifetime contract with Nike worth around $1 billion. The deal was signed in 2016 and will remain in effect for decades after he retires. NBA legend Michael Jordan has a similar deal with Nike, and he continues to receive regular payments every year after he retired in 2003.
Ronaldo not only makes money from football, he also invests a lot in his own business fields. This player currently owns a fashion brand, high-end underwear, perfume, restaurants, hotels... In 2015, he invested 40 million USD in Pestana Hotel Group.
In addition, CR7 also owns a villa worth 7.1 million USD in Madrid and an apartment worth 18.5 million USD in Trump Tower in New York. This superstar also has a passion for supercars with a collection of millions of USD. Ronaldo also owns a private jet worth about 17 million USD.
However, with such assets, Ronaldo is also under close supervision. Recently, he reached a deal with Spanish prosecutors in a tax evasion case. Accordingly, this player will have to serve a two-year suspended sentence and pay a fine of 21.7 million USD.