Cristiano Ronaldo is widely considered one of the GOATs of world football, with the Portuguese superstar now playing in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr, prompting a wave of high-profile players signing for Saudi sides like Sadio Mané, Karim Benzemá, Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino, N’Golo Kanté, Neymar, amongst others.
Ronaldo was offered a hefty salary for going to Saudi Arabia, with reports indicating that the Portuguese may be the highest-paid athlete in the world, with his already big fortune growing, even more, these past few months thanks to Saudi’s oil money.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s wealth
According to Al-Jazeera, Cristiano Ronaldo’s salary at Al-Nassr is worth around $220 million a year, singing until 2025 with the Saudi side. However this figure it’s not just for playing football, as his contract includes image rights, and commercial deals that help to pay the Portuguese salary in Saudi Arabia.
Per Forbes, Ronaldo became the first professional athlete ever to surpass the billion-dollar threshold just in career earnings in 2020, as his net worth is around $500 million according to some estimations that include wages, endorsement deals, real estate, and advertisements.
Ronaldo’s image
Ronaldo’s image was used to promote Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, which became a reality in recent weeks, with the Public Investment Fund, which is the sovereign wealth of the Saudi Royal Family, being used to pay CR7 salary.
The Portuguese have scored 36 goals in 42 matches for Al-Nassr, since arriving in the 2022-23 season, with the team being second in the Saudi Pro League with 31 points, behind Neymar’s Al-Hilal with 35 points.