After a surprising reveal that he will be leaving Old Trafford, soccer fans are wondering: what is Cristiano Ronaldo’s net worth?
On November 22, 2022, Manchester United announced that Cristiano Ronaldo will no longer be playing for the team. “Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect,” a statement from the team said. “The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances and wishes him and his family well for the future. Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch.”
“I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never ever change,” Ronaldo said in a statement. “However, it feels the right time for me to seek a new challenge. I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future.” Ronaldo is certainly one of the most recognizable soccer players in the world and on the same day of his departure, he became the first person on Instagram to reach over 500 million followers. So, what exactly is Cristiano Ronaldo’s net worth? Read below to see what he earned before he left.
What is Cristiano Ronaldo’s net worth?
Image: David Ramos/Getty Images
Cristiano Ronaldo’s net worth is estimated to be around $115 million according to Forbes. The footballer was previously ranked as the world’s highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2016 and 2017. According to the business magazine, he is also the first active team-sport athlete to surpass $1 billion in career earnings in 2020. He is the third richest athlete in the world behind basketball player Lebron James and fellow soccer player Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo’s net worth mainly comes from his salary and winnings with the soccer player obtaining $60 million from his plays. The other half comes from endorsements. The former Manchester United player has a lifetime deal with Nike when he signed with the sports brand that’s worth $1 billion in 2016 and a $100 million signing-on bonus. He also has other brand deals with Delivery Hero, Herbalife, MTG, Nike, Unilever. He also owns his own company called CR7 which sells sunglasses, underwear, fragrances and footwear.
Ronaldo for Old Man back in 2003 until 2009, when he was sold to Real Madrid for a record-breaking £80 million ($95 m). “Manchester United have received a world-record, unconditional offer for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid,” a statement from the Spanish team said at the time. “At Cristiano’s request—who has again expressed his desire to leave—and after discussion with the player’s representatives, United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player.”
He broke his own record when he signed with Juventus for £105 million ($117 million at the time) in 2018. At the time, Ronaldo signed a four-year contract with the club, with the Telegraph reporting Ronaldo’s deal is worth “around £500,000 a week”, which equates to over $594,000 a week. From 2011 to 2014, Ronaldo went to Spanish court after he allegedly defrauded the Spanish treasury of €14.7m ($15.1 m) in taxes. According to his lawyers per The Guardian, Ronaldo “didn’t break any laws, all he did was follow criteria that the tax inspectors don’t like It is not a case of fraud, they insist, but of a difference of opinion.” In 2019, he pleaded guilty of all charges. “I’ve done everything correctly, never tried to hide anything,” he said. “I’m confident justice will be done.”
Ronaldo was sold back to Manchester United by Juventus in August 2021 for €23m ($23.6m). An official statement released by the Italian team said that the two clubs agreed on a fee of €15m ($15.4m) guaranteed with a maximum of €8m ($8.2m) in add-ons depending on the success of Ronaldo and Man United during his time at the club. Manchester United’s tweet that Ronaldo was coming “home” was returning became the most-liked tweet in Twitter history, garnering more than 1.9 million. He also smashed the club’s daily shirt sale record in less than four hours after it was confirmed he would retain his iconic No. 7 jersey, reclaiming it from Edinson Cavani.
Though one of the richest, Ronaldo is hailed to be one of the most generous players, too. He paid $83,000 for a child’s brain surgery and used $165,000 to fund a Portuguese cancer center. He also makes it a habit to not cash in his bonus earnings, but to donate them to charities of his choosing. In 2013, he earned a €100,000 ($103,000+) bonus from the European governing body for being in the Uefa Team of the Year, and he donated all the money to the Red Cross. A year later Ronaldo won Real Madrid’s tenth Champions League victory and picked up a £450,000 ($535,000+) bonus from Los Blancos. However, he again decided to divide his earnings among the three charities he is an ambassador for, Unicef, World Vision and Save the Children.
During his second time at Manchester United, Ronaldo was estimated to receive £16 million (over $19 m) by the end of his contract. However, by the time his contract was terminated, Daily Mail revealed that United have not paid any compensation for the remaining seven months of his £500,000-a-week contract. In an earth-shattering interview with Piers Morgan: Uncensored on November 13, 2022, the FIFA World Cup player came forward with his story of how the team’s managers treated him. He stated how he felt betrayed by the English club, and he expressed the lack of respect from manager Erik ten Hag, which in turn made him not respect his manager. “Some people, I feel, don’t want me here,” the forward admitted in the interview on November 13, 2022. “Not just this year, but last year too.”
On the timing of the interview on how it corresponded with him playing with Portugal’s team in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, he said, “I am bulletproof—I wear an iron suit,” he said. ‘In my life, the best timing is always my timing. I don’t have to think about what other people think. I speak when I want. The players know me really well for many years and know the type of person I am and what I believe in.” “The club will consider its response after the full facts have been established. Our focus remains on preparing for the second half of the season and continuing the momentum, belief and togetherness being built among the players, manager, staff, and fans.”
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If you want to know more about Cristiano Ronaldo, you shouldn’t miss Benjamin Southerland’s biography, You’ll learn about his childhood, his early life and his meteoric rise to become one of football’s greatest players of all time—as well as one of the richest sports stars in the world. From the slums of the Madeiran neighborhoods to the bright lights and wealth of Madrid, this is the story of an incredible player, who never ceases to amaze the world with his skills.
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