Cristiano Ronaldo has made history by becoming the first footballer to reach millionaire status after securing a lucrative new contract in Saudi Arabia. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid ace made a sensational move to the Middle East in 2013. After leaving Old Trafford, Ronaldo signed an unprecedented £173 million a year deal with Al Nasr.
However, he has now agreed new terms and signed a more lucrative contract in Saudi Arabia. The 40-year-old is now set to raise around £492m over the next two years, a sum that has taken him past the £1bn milestone. Bloomberg reported that Ronaldo’s net worth has now increased to $1.4 billion (£1.045 billion), making him the first footballer to achieve this feat.
Ronaldo’s decision to move to Saudi Arabia has come under fire, with some suggesting he was motivated purely by financial gain. Still, the striker has consistently championed the league and shown he has the potential to outperform Europe’s best sides.
Upon signing his new contract, he said: “Of course we (Saudi Professional League) are still improving, but at the moment I believe we are already in the top five (world leagues). I believe we will still continue to improve and we have time and we have proven in the last two years that the league is constantly improving.”
“I am happy because I know that the league is very competitive. The only people who say this league is not top five (in the world) are those who have never played in Saudi Arabia and do not understand anything about football. I believe my words 100 percent and the people who play in this league know what I am talking about.”
While he continues to perform at the highest level, the question of hanging up his boots against the legendary striker has been repeatedly raised. “To be honest, I don’t think it’s an obsession,” Ronaldo admitted after the awards ceremony in Portugal.
“If you asked me 20 years ago, I might have answered differently, like I wanted to eat the world. But now I don’t think of things that way. Age also makes us think differently.
“As I said, I have a philosophy of living one day at a time. In daily life, things change in an instant. You can’t plan for the long term. Right now, I plan for the short term because it gives me more energy and makes me want to live more.”
“I’m enjoying every day, every training session and every match. Then we’ll see what happens.”
The Portuguese icon has amassed an incredible goalscoring record since moving to Saudi Arabia. He played 117 games for Al Nasr and scored 104 goals.
