Cristiano Ronaldo has amassed a staggering fortune thanks to his brilliance on the pitch and his astute judgment off it. The Manchester United and Real Madrid legend has become soccer’s first billionaire player.
The 40-year-old’s net worth is estimated at a whopping £1.04 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which tracks the world’s wealthiest people. Ronaldo’s valuation includes career earnings, investments and endorsements, with Bloomberg estimating his salary income from 2002 to 2023 to be more than £410m. He will move to Saudi Professional League side Al Nasr in 2022, signing for a salary of £177 million a year, and recently penned a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2027. He also has a sponsorship deal with Nike worth £13.4 million a year.
Apart from pitching, Ronaldo is involved in various businesses including a hotel chain. He entered the hospitality industry 10 years ago in partnership with Pestana Hotel Group and Madeira’s Dionisio Pestana, reportedly investing around £30m in the project.
He currently owns hotels in Madrid, Funchal, Lisbon, Marrakech and New York under the CR7 brand. Last year’s recruitment efforts by the Madrid location provided a glimpse of what employees can expect.
The hotel is hiring waiters, supervisors, receptionists, bar staff and junior waiters, with all applicants required to have fluency in English and professional qualifications. Job advertisements highlighted a number of attractive benefits for employees, including permanent contracts with restaurant coupons and discounted rates at other properties in the group.
Fifty days of annual leave, a birthday bonus and a 25% pay cut in all of the hotel’s bars and restaurants were part of the pay package, which amounted to just over £25,000. Staff also receive free health insurance.
In 2015, Ronaldo revealed to CNBC that it was his “dream” to own a hotel. He explained: “I’m 100 percent sure that because of my name, my way of life, my ambitions and Dionisio’s ambitions, this will be different from others.
“I think we have all the ingredients to make it happen. My ambition is like football, I want to get better. As you know, football is not for life. I want to do other things.”
Despite turning 50, Ronaldo is far from retiring as a footballer, ignoring pressure from his family to retire. Speaking at the Portuguese Football Globes’ celebration after his contract extension, he said: “I’m still passionate about this.
“My family says it’s time to quit and asks me why I want to score 1,000 goals when I’ve already scored over 900. But deep down I don’t think so. I’m still producing good things. I’m helping the club and the country. Why not continue?”
“When it’s over, I’m sure I’ll leave feeling satisfied because I gave it my all. I know I don’t have many years to play, but I have to make the most of the few years I have left.”
