Cristiano Ronaldo Is Officially Soccer’s First Billionaire

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Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved another milestone after becoming the first footballer to become a billionaire.

The Portugal superstar has added to his lengthy list of accolades after seeing his net worth reach staggering heights on the back of signing the most lucrative contract extension in sporting history with Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr in June.

Ronaldo has achieved several records during remarkable career

Ronaldo has achieved a number of extraordinary records down the years. In a remarkable career which has seen him win seven league titles and five Champions League crowns across trophy-laden spells with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, the forward is the most-capped men’s player in international football history with Portugal, while he has also scored more official goals (946) than any other male player.

Portugal star becomes a billionaire after Al-Nassr renewal

Ronaldo has now got his hands on another record after becoming the first-ever footballer to become a billionaire. In a report from U.S. publication Bloomberg, Ronaldo’s net worth has now reportedly climbed to $1.4 billion (£1bn/€1.2bn) after he put pen to paper on the most lucrative contract extension in sporting history with Al-Nassr. After inking his new two-year deal in June, Ronaldo is now reportedly earning £178m-a-year in wages, which is £488,000-a-day. He is also believed to have received a signing-on fee worth £24.5m ($32.8m/€28.2m), which will increase to £38m ($51m/€43.8m) if he enters the second year of his contract.

Ronaldo joins Federer, Woods, Jordan & James elite club

While Ronaldo has become football’s first billionaire, he is not the first athlete to achieve the dizzying landmark. According to Forbes, tennis legend Roger Federer, golf icon Tiger Woods and basketball stars Michael Jordan and LeBron James join Ronaldo in an exclusive list of sporting idols whose success in their respective fields has led them to earning the eye-watering sum of money over their glittering careers.

Ex-Man Utd & Real Madrid star craves more footballing history

Ronaldo, 40, has revealed he wants to make even more footballing history, despite his family’s best efforts to convince him to hang up his boots. After being awarded the inaugural Prestige Award at the Portugal Football Globe Awards gala on Tuesday night, Ronaldo said of his immediate future: “I want to keep playing for a few years, not many, I have to be honest. I want to thank all my team-mates, for having learned from all of them – and even from this younger generation as well. For me, it’s a privilege to be with you. Our [Portugal’s] goal is to win the next two games and be in the World Cup. The World Cup will come soon. We have to think solely and exclusively about the present, but with our thoughts ahead. It would be a dream.

“People, especially my family, say, ‘It’s time for you to stop. You’ve done everything. Why do you want to score a thousand goals?’ But I don’t think so. I think I’m still producing good things, I’m helping my club and the national team, and why not keep going? I’m sure that when it’s over, I’ll leave feeling fulfilled, because I gave it my all. I know I don’t have many more years, but I try to enjoy the few I have to the fullest.

“If it were 20 years ago, I would say I wanted to ‘eat the world.’ Now I don’t see things that way. Age allows you to think differently. I have a philosophy of living day by day. Things go by so quickly, things change, and you can’t make long-term plans. Right now, I make short-term plans because it gives me more energy that way. It gives me more of a will to live. That’s what I try to do: enjoy each day, training session by training session, game by game. The rest will soon be seen.”

Ronaldo aims to get closer to 1,000-goal mark

The next milestone Ronaldo has his eyes on is becoming the first footballer to score 1,000 official goals, standing just 54 short of the record. He will continue his pursuit of the landmark in Portugal’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland and Hungary. Roberto Martinez’s side play host to Ireland on Saturday, before entertaining Hungary three days later.

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