It began, as most Ronaldo stories do, with another record rewritten.
But this time, it wasn’t on a football pitch lined with grass and glory — it was on the Bloomberg Billionaire Index.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese legend whose name has long been synonymous with excellence, has now become football’s first billionaire player, his net worth soaring to $1.4 billion.
The Bloomberg ranking, which for the first time assessed the financial empire of the Al Nassr forward, attributes this milestone to a blend of his on-field earnings and an empire of endorsements.
Despite his billionaire status, Ronaldo is still not the highest-valued sportsperson in terms of net worth.
Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have a higher net worth than the Portuguese forward, placing him third on the global list of the wealthiest athletes.
Between 2002 and 2023, Ronaldo amassed more than $550 million in salary alone. His decade-long association with Nike, reportedly worth nearly $18 million a year, and tie-ups with brands like Armani, have furnished the rest.
Ronaldo’s switch to Saudi Arabia in 2022, signing with Al Nassr, shifted the axis of football’s financial gravity and made him the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177 million.
Earlier this year, Ronaldo extended his contract with Al Nassr till 2027.
The contract, valued at over $400 million and free of taxation — vaulted him into the rarefied strata of global billionaires.
The move made him not only the highest-paid footballer in history but also a businessman whose wealth now competes with his goal tally.
In Europe, his wages had often mirrored those of his eternal rival Lionel Messi. Yet, where Messi’s path veered toward Inter Miami and a $20 million annual salary, Ronaldo’s route through Riyadh brought with it tenfold returns.
Bloomberg estimates Messi’s pre-tax career earnings at $600 million — a figure impressive but still a fraction of Ronaldo’s total financial command.
When Messi retires, the 38-year-old Argentine star is set to receive a stake in Inter Miami.
Ronaldo continues to play, score and celebrate with the same intensity that once electrified Old Trafford, the Bernabéu, and Turin.
In a recent conversation with Portugal’s Canal 11, he addressed the murmurs around his longevity.
“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 I finish, I’ll be fulfilled, because I gave it my all. I know I don’t have many more years, but the few I have, I try to enjoy to the fullest,” he said.
That determination has defined Ronaldo’s career, but his ambition has extended far beyond the game.
His CR7 brand — spanning fashion, fragrances, hotels, and gyms — has become an empire in its own right.
He owns multiple properties, including a €20 million estate in Quinta da Marinha, a luxury golf resort near Lisbon.
Recently honoured with the Portugal Football Prestige Globe award, Ronaldo dismissed the idea of it being a curtain call.
“It’s not an end-of-career award. I see it as recognition of years of effort, dedication, and ambition. I like winning, helping the younger generations — and they also help me maintain my level and continue competing. That’s what excites me: competing with the younger ones. I still have a passion for this,” he said.
Ronaldo’s popularity remains unmatched. With 660 million followers, he is the most-followed person on Instagram — a digital realm where he reigns as imperiously as he once did in Madrid or Manchester.
On the field, his legend continues to grow. The highest scorer in men’s international football history, he has found the net 141 times in 223 appearances for Portugal.
His eyes now turn toward the next FIFA World Cup, where he hopes to add one final chapter to a career that has already bent the limits of footballing achievement — and now, of wealth itself.