Cristiano Ronaldo has officially become the first footballer in history to reach billionaire status. According to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index, the 40-year-old Portuguese superstar now has a net worth of £1.04 billion. Ronaldo’s financial rise has been fueled by his groundbreaking contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, which will see him earn an estimated £492 million over the next two years. Bloomberg’s finance experts calculated his fortune by factoring in career earnings, investments, and endorsement deals, adjusting for taxes and market performance.
Saudi Arabian Contract Drives Cristiano Ronaldo’s Wealth Surge
Experts noted that Ronaldo’s Saudi earnings have “catapulted him to the top of the rankings for highest-earning sportspeople.”
🚨 Cristiano Ronaldo is football’s first-ever billionaire, with a net worth of $1.4B. @business pic.twitter.com/qmKNPWt8PL
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) October 8, 2025
This is his first appearance on Bloomberg’s index, and his wealth now far surpasses that of long-time rival Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami in the United States.
Sources of Wealth For Cristiano Ronaldo
Central to Ronaldo’s fortune is a lifetime deal with Nike worth £745 million, his largest commercial agreement to date. He also collaborates with other global brands, including Tag Heuer, Armani, Louis Vuitton, Samsung, and Unilever.
Ronaldo’s previous Al-Nassr contract alone paid £167.9 million annually, equating to roughly £300 per minute. He also owns a stake in the Saudi club, further increasing his wealth.
Off the field, Ronaldo enjoys an opulent lifestyle. He is constructing a £28 million mansion in Quinta da Marinha, featuring a glass swimming pool with an underwater walkway. His private jet, a £61 million Bombardier Global Express 6500, complements his £18 million car collection, which includes a limited-edition Bugatti Centodieci worth £8.5 million.
Cristiano Ronaldo Speaks on His National Team Portugal
Despite his extraordinary earnings, Ronaldo made a surprising revelation while receiving the Globo Prestigio award in Portugal.
“I often say if I could, I would play football only for the national team, I wouldn’t play for any other club because it’s the culmination and the peak of a football player,” he admitted.
Speaking at the FPF Arena Portugal in Oeiras, Ronaldo emphasized his passion for international football after 22 years with the national team:
“I want to keep playing for a few years, not many, I have to be honest. Obviously, our goal is to go to the World Cup and win, as we all want.”
Cristiano Ronaldo Chasing 1,000 Career Goals
Ronaldo is currently closing in on the 1,000-goal milestone, having reached 946 goals, though he insists it’s no longer an obsession:
“I’ll be honest: I don’t see it as an obsession. If you’d asked me 20 years ago, I might have answered differently, like I wanted to eat the world, but now I don’t see things that way,” he reflected.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
