Cristiano Ronaldo Net Worth in 2024: How He Spends His Money

Cristiano Ronaldo is undeniably one of the all-time football greats. However, he is not the world’s richest athlete, nor is he the world’s most profitable celebrity, but he is the world’s most-followed public figure on Instagram. No doubt, Cristiano Ronaldo is a man of his own worth.

What makes Ronaldo that rich? Surely, despite being a world-renowned athlete, his paycheck is not enough to sustain millions of dollars’ worth of cash flow. While his career as a professional sportsman remains as his main source of income to this day, Ronaldo has managed to successfully utilize his reputation and success as a superstar athlete in other areas outside the soccer field, thus making him not only one of the most valuable but also one of the most lucrative sportsmen in his generation.

Professional Soccer Career Earnings

That $450 million did not just come out of nowhere and it all started in the field he has dominated for years – soccer. Born and raised in Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro started playing football at a young age and became part of the country’s national team. His career breakthrough, however, took place when he joined Manchester United and became the team’s first Portuguese player. His first deal with Manchester United was announced to be £12.25 million (approximately $15.6 million). He signed another five-year contract with the team for $31 million.

After extending his contract with Manchester United, Ronaldo left and signed a $150 million deal with Real Madrid in 2009. Playing for Real Madrid not only bumped his income to the hundred-million-dollar mark, but his career also took off as he set and broke records and received numerous awards, thus prompting his name to rise among the ranks of valuable players in the world of international football. In July 2018, Ronaldo bid Real Madrid goodbye and moved to Italian club Juventus for a reportedly $138 million four-year contract – a wage cut compared to what he was getting before leaving Real Madrid. Still, his 2019 income according to Forbes is still at $109 million, which made him the second-highest-paid athlete of the year behind fellow soccer icon, Lionel Messi.

Product Endorsement Earnings

Ronaldo’s rise to fame comes with the increase in the value of his name. Since his career breakthrough with Real Madrid, he has become the face of various products and companies from different industries including sportswear, telecommunications, oil, airlines, steel, pharmaceutical, and even gaming and websites to name a few. As of June 2019, Ronaldo had made a total of $44 million in endorsements, which makes up more than 40% of his overall income for this year alone.

The Lucrative Nike Sponsorship

According to Daily Mail UK, Ronaldo has 31 sponsorship deals, thus placing him on top of the world’s highest-paid athletes. Among his first sponsorship deals was with Nike from 2003 to 2007, during which he was paid $5.09 million annually. The contract was renewed in 2010 and Ronaldo scored a yearly salary of $8.05 million. Later, in 2014, the earning from the Nike deal rose to a staggering amount of $23.7 million. Ronaldo’s partnership with Nike continues with a $30 million a year deal in 2016. The same year he managed to secure a lifetime contract with the brand for no less than $1 billion. Nike has lifetime contracts with two other athletes namely Michael Jordan and LeBron James. This means Ronaldo the third athlete to get this exclusive deal.

Other Endorsements

In 2009, Ronaldo secured a two-year contract with the global oil and petroleum company, Castrol, worth $4.5 million annually. In the same year, he became the face of fashion brand Emporio Armani for $1.6 million until 2013. Came 2014 and Ronaldo started sporting TAG Heuer for $1 million yearly. And in 2016, telecommunications corporation ZTE signed a one-year endorsement with the football superstar for $4.47 million.

Not all of Ronaldo’s endorsements and sponsorships are worth millions. He has a three-year contract with KFC from which he made $750,000 a year. There are also his Abbot Laboratories pharmaceutical company, PokerStars, and brokerage and consulting company deals of half-a-million-dollar each. Of course, let us not forget to mention those deals which numbers have not been publicized or officially confirmed like his Egyptian Steel, Emirates Airlines, Samsung, and his most recent endorsement contract with Toyota.

Social Media Influencing Earnings

With his fame comes fortune and Ronaldo makes the best of his reputation. He utilizes today’s most popular social media platforms and an influencer for top brands. His official Instagram account currently has more than 172 million followers, he has 78.4 million followers on Twitter, and more than 122.5 million on Facebook. With these numbers, Ronaldo has the cult-following social media influencers dream of. According to Hopper HQ, an Instagram planner, and scheduling tool, Ronaldo ranks first among athletes on their “Instagram Rich List of 2018” with $750,000 earnings for every brand-sponsored post he makes. Fellow football stars Neymar da Silva Santos, Jr., Messi, and David Beckham are on the second, third, and fourth places respectively. Ronaldo ranks third overall after Kylie Jenner who is paid $1 million and Selena Gomez who gets $800,000.

Cristiano As a Businessman

The CR7 moniker – taken from his initials and jersey number – became more than just a popular nickname when Ronaldo establish it as his own official label. The launch of CR7 marked another milestone in the soccer player’s career. It gave Ronald a grand foray into the entrepreneurship and the venture has been profitable. The CR7 brand boasts quite a list of products from luxury underwear, a clothing line for boys and men, shoes, and fragrances. While it has a long way to catch up with the most expensive celebrity signature scents topped by Heat by Beyonce (worth: $400 Million), CR7 can surely bank on its owner’s celebrity luster to bring in the moolah.

Cristiano As an Investor

Cristiano Ronaldo once said “don’t just talk about what you want to do. Go out and do it.” While he doesn’t talk much about what he wants to do outside playing football, he has made clear his intentions as an investor. In 2015, Ronaldo fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams as a hotel-chain owner when he invested $40 million into four of Pestana Hotel Group’s boutique hotels and became one of the tourism and leisure firm’s international shareholders.

Aside from that, in 2016, Ronaldo ventured into the fitness sector, partnering with Crunch; US health company to open his first gym in Madrid. That’s not all; in March 2019, the soccer great expanded into beauty business opening his first hair transplant clinic called Insparya in Spain.

As A Real Estate Owner

Superstar athletes are well-known for having extravagant abodes and Ronaldo is no different. His official residence is a stunning double villa located at the heart of Turin in Italy, in the hills behind the iconic Gran Madre di Dio. The strategic location of the villa offers a remarkable panoramic view of Turin. Interesting, though, the 8-bedroom villa is accessible only through a private road.  Some of its unique features include a private garden, an indoor pool, and a gym. Above all the villa features a strategically planted, lush vegetation that shields the buildings from prying eyes. There is not much information about the value of this property, but as you might expect, the villa is another expensive piece of acquisition.

Ronaldo’s New York City home is an $18.5 million loft apartment in none other than the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. The apartment measures at 2,509 square feet with three bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms, and a spectacular view of Central Park – the icing on the cake of its luxurious interior. The apartment was purchased in 2015 and was reported to be the inspiration behind Christian Grey’s bachelor pad in E.L. James’s bestselling novel, 50 Shades of Grey.

As a “Toy” Collector

Ronaldo is certainly one of the big boys. Owing to his bulging financial muscle, he is not ashamed to flex his impressive collection of expensive cars. Among his car collection is a $4.7 million Bugatti Chiron, easily one of the most expensive supercars and which has been the star of several of his Instagram posts. As if its price and make do not spell “luxury” enough, Ronaldo’s Bugatti Chiron is one of the 500 units made and is customized with his CR7 trademark. He also has a Bugatti Veyron priced at €1.8 million (approximately $2 million).

Other cars in his garage that are worth mentioning include his Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, which is worth around $340,000; an Aston Martin DB9 which cost him $2000,000; and his most recent addition; a Rolls Royce Phantom worth $400,000 bought in March 2019. There are also his three famous Ferraris – the F430 ($300,000), the 599 GTB Fiorano ($310,000), and the 599 GTO ($385,000). Ronaldo purchased another Ferrari – Ferrari F12 – in 2017. He also owns a BMW M6, Bentley Continental GTC, and three Audis (Audi Q7, R8, and RS6). Besides, he is a proud owner of a couple of Porsche vehicles (911 Carrera 2S Cabriolet and Cayenne Turbo). Another of his luxury toys worth mentioning is a Mercedes-Benz C-Class to name a few more.

A top player like Ronaldo does not just travel in style on the road, he also flies lavishly in one of the most expensive planes.  Ronaldo owns a £32 million (approximately $35 million) Gulfstream G650 private jet that also bears his famous CR7 insignia.  For your information, this is quite a luxurious jet ride – a fit for a man of Cristiano Ronaldo’s worth.

How does Cristiano Ronaldo give back through philanthropy and charitable work?

While Cristiano Ronaldo is known for his lavish lifestyle, he is also deeply involved in philanthropy and charitable efforts. Over the years, he has donated millions to various causes and supported initiatives that aim to make a positive impact on the world. Some key aspects of his charitable work include:

• Donations to Hospitals: Ronaldo has funded multiple hospitals and medical facilities, particularly in his home country of Portugal. In 2020, he and his agent donated over $1 million to hospitals in Lisbon and Porto to help them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Children’s Charities: Ronaldo has been a longtime supporter of children’s charities, including Save the Children and UNICEF. He has donated significant amounts of money to provide education, food, and medical care for underprivileged children around the world.
• Blood and Bone Marrow Donation: Unlike many celebrities, Ronaldo does not have any tattoos so that he can regularly donate blood. He also registered as a bone marrow donor after his teammate’s child was diagnosed with leukemia.
• Auctioning Personal Memorabilia: Ronaldo has auctioned his personal memorabilia, including his 2013 Ballon d’Or trophy, to raise funds for various charitable causes, contributing millions to those in need.

These efforts show Ronaldo’s commitment to using his wealth and influence to give back to society.

What Lies Ahead?

It is undeniable that Ronaldo’s football career was at its peak during the years he spent with Real Madrid. His stay in at the Madrid-based club funded most of his major investments and properties. It is, however, still too early to tell what his move to Juventus will bring in the coming days. At the age of 34, Ronaldo is already in the “twilight years” of his career as a football player. However, his growing businesses and endorsement deals continue to contribute a sizeable amount to his income and net worth. It is, therefore, safe to say that Cristiano Ronaldo is set to live a lavish life even in his retirement years.

Key Insights

• Diverse Income Streams: Cristiano Ronaldo’s wealth is not solely dependent on his football salary. His diverse income streams include professional soccer career earnings, product endorsements, social media influencing, business ventures, real estate investments, and luxury collectibles.
• High-Value Endorsements: Ronaldo’s endorsements contribute significantly to his income. Notable deals include lifetime contracts with Nike worth $1 billion, and major deals with brands like TAG Heuer, Castrol, and Emporio Armani.
• Social Media Influence: Ronaldo is a top social media influencer with millions of followers across platforms. He earns substantial income from brand-sponsored posts, making him a lucrative figure in the digital space.
• Entrepreneurial Ventures: Ronaldo has successfully ventured into business with his CR7 brand, which includes clothing, footwear, and fragrances. He also invested in hotels, gyms, and a hair transplant clinic.
• Luxurious Real Estate: Ronaldo owns high-value properties, including a villa in Turin and an $18.5 million apartment in New York’s Trump Tower, reflecting his penchant for luxury living.
• Luxury Collectibles: His collection of expensive cars, including a Bugatti Chiron and Rolls Royce Phantom, and a private Gulfstream G650 jet, exemplify his extravagant lifestyle and financial capability.

FAQ

1. What are Cristiano Ronaldo’s main sources of income? Cristiano Ronaldo’s main sources of income are his professional soccer career earnings, product endorsements, social media influencing, entrepreneurial ventures, real estate investments, and luxury collectibles.
2. How much does Ronaldo earn from endorsements? Ronaldo earns millions from endorsements, with notable deals including a lifetime contract with Nike worth $1 billion and other significant deals with brands like TAG Heuer, Castrol, and Emporio Armani.
3. What is Ronaldo’s most valuable endorsement deal? Ronaldo’s most valuable endorsement deal is with Nike, a lifetime contract worth $1 billion, making him one of only three athletes to secure such a deal with the brand.
4. How does Ronaldo leverage his social media presence? Ronaldo leverages his massive social media following to earn substantial income from brand-sponsored posts. He ranks first among athletes on the “Instagram Rich List,” earning $750,000 per sponsored post.
5. What businesses does Ronaldo own? Ronaldo owns the CR7 brand, which includes luxury underwear, clothing, shoes, and fragrances. He also invested in hotels with the Pestana Hotel Group, gyms in partnership with Crunch, and a hair transplant clinic in Spain.
6. What are some of Ronaldo’s notable real estate properties? Ronaldo owns a luxurious villa in Turin, Italy, and an $18.5 million apartment in New York’s Trump Tower, both reflecting his taste for high-value properties.
7. What luxury cars does Ronaldo own? Ronaldo’s car collection includes a $4.7 million Bugatti Chiron, a Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini Aventador, Aston Martin DB9, Rolls Royce Phantom, and multiple Ferraris and other luxury vehicles.
8. Does Ronaldo own a private jet? Yes, Ronaldo owns a £32 million (approximately $35 million) Gulfstream G650 private jet, which features his famous CR7 insignia.
9. What is the future outlook for Ronaldo’s wealth? While Ronaldo is in the latter part of his football career, his growing businesses, endorsement deals, and diverse investments indicate that he will continue to amass wealth and live a lavish lifestyle even in retirement.
10. How did Ronaldo’s career at Real Madrid impact his wealth? Ronaldo’s career at Real Madrid significantly boosted his wealth, funding major investments and properties. His tenure at the club was marked by peak performance and high earnings, setting the foundation for his financial success.

By Jenny Chang

Jenny Chang is a senior writer specializing in SaaS and B2B software solutions. Her decision to focus on these two industries was spurred by their explosive growth in the last decade, much of it she attributes to the emergence of disruptive technologies and the quick adoption by businesses that were quick to recognize their values to their organizations. She has covered all the major developments in SaaS and B2B software solutions, from the introduction of massive ERPs to small business platforms to help startups on their way to success.