|
His career began with Sporting Lisbon in his native Portugal back in 2002. In 2003, he commenced a six-year spell that would make him a Manchester United star, which was only cemented by his brief return in 2021. Now 40 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to play football but has also leveraged his riches to set a distinct off-pitch record.
On 8 October 2025, Ronaldo was named the first billionaire footballer. While he’s certainly enjoyed a long and decorated career, not even half of what is now his £1.04 billion net worth is down to the 21 years of on-pitch earnings throughout the financial recording bracket of the stats. So, how did he get to £1 billion?
Making a Billion in the World’s Most Popular Sport
 |
From 2002 to 2023 – after a year with Al-Nassr – Ronaldo had amassed £410 million in earnings. Outside of that, he’s piled up the endorsement and sponsorship deals and invested his cash into numerous business ventures. The athletics angle from Forbes says that his on-field earnings last year hit £172 million.
Ronaldo’s off-field earnings made it to £38 million on top. Sponsorship deals are a big part of this, with his Nike deal notoriously being one of the biggest in the world. Beyond that, he has several businesses pumping cash into his bank account each month.
The CR7 brand now sprawls across the lifestyle industry – covering eyewear, fashion, shoes, accessories, and fragrances – dedicated gyms and fitness centres, and in conjunction with hotelier Pestana. The latter has seen Pestana CR7 set up venues in Funchal, Lisbon, Madrid, and New York.
Doha, Madrid, Beverly Hills, and Ibiza are also now home to Ronaldo ventures, in this case, with restaurants. The Zela collection of eateries is owned by Groupo Mabel Capital, which calls Ronaldo, Pau Gasol, Enrique Iglesias, and Rafael Nadal its owners. He also owns the hair clinic Insparya, and he rents out some of his private jets.
Where Might the Next Billion Come from?
 |
Ronaldo’s signed on in Saudi Arabia until he turns 42 years old. In that time, he’ll add hundreds of millions to his pool of cash. Clearly happy to spend money to make money, Ronaldo will have tremendous leverage upon his retirement to commit even further to other business pursuits.
The obvious path would be to club ownership. Always adverse to becoming a manager, Ronaldo could see owning a football club as a potentially very profitable venture. Which club he’d take over, and where, hasn’t been alluded to. He could also bank on his legacy on the pitch for licensing deals.
Plenty of sports stars have done this to create new products. Of course, Ronaldo already makes use of the CR7 brand, but there are other arenas to explore. Official merchandise is one route, as is official games. Among the collection of slot games online, both Roberto Carlos and Frankie Dettori have official Sporting Legends titles.
In interviews, seeing the end of his career coming, Ronaldo has said that he’ll pursue his hobbies more – which include watching UFC and playing padel – and will learn more about his companies. Following this, perhaps he’ll invest in the infrastructure for the sports he has an interest in, or learn what it takes to lead a company hands-on.
Given his prestige and the funds he has available, Ronaldo will have the freedom to chase down any business pursuit that takes his fancy after he hangs up his boots. |
