Cristiano Ronaldo Set To Become First Billionaire Footballer

Despite agreeing to take a $6.8 million pay-cut at Juventus amid the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, Cristiano Ronaldo is set to become the first billionaire footballer this season.

A large part of this financial success is due to his off-field portfolio, including around $70.9 million a year from endorsements, including his partnerships with Nike, his underwear brand and a number of other ventures.

In addition to endorsements, according to Business Insider, the Champions League’s record goal-scorer made 30 per cent more from paid Instagram posts, $76.8 million, during his first season at Juventus than his take home pay, AUD $59 million, from the club.

Across his social media platforms, Ronaldo boasts 420 million followers and each advertised post earns him in the region of $1.77 million.

Forbes’ sports money analyst, Christina Settimi, said Ronaldo still could earn enough just through endorsements this year to make him reach the milestone.

“With the additional [$71 million] he makes as a walking billboard, pitching products head to toe for the likes of Nike and his CR7 line of underwear, footwear, and cologne, Ronaldo can still earn [$145.8 million] annually to retain his standing among the best-paid in all of sports, and still become the third active athlete to crack the USD $1 billion mark in career earnings at the end of this season,” Settimi said.

Passing over USD $1 billion in career earnings will align Ronaldo with the likes of Tiger Woods and Floyd Mayweather as active billionaire sportsmen, after Woods passed the mark in 2009 and Mayweather in 2017.

While his earnings totalled $172 million in 2019, he still remains the second highest-paid athlete in the world behind Lionel Messi, who earned $200 million.

Amid the suspension to Italian Serie A competition due to concerns surrounding Coronavirus, Ronaldo’s club Juventus, announced it reached an agreement with its players and coaches to save around $158 million by reducing compensation over four months, from March to June.

This figure amounts to 30 percent of the club’s annual total wage bill, and Ronaldo’s reported pay cut of $6.8 million only totals 4 percent of the club’s expected savings, despite being their highest paid player, followed by star young forward Paulo Dybala who nets $9.5 million per year.