How can we be so certain? Well, there are few things (if any) in football that can be bracketed as sure, but Ronaldo hitting the back of the net for club and country has proved to be one of the most reliable and predictable outcomes since he scored the first of his 950 goals to date as a 17-year-old for Sporting CP in a 3-0 win against Moreirense in Lisbon on Oct 7, 2002.
Ronaldo, 40, who on June signed a new two-year deal with Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr, is projected to claim $280 million in total earnings over the coming year before taxes and agents' fees. The Portugal captain, who recently declared he has no plans to retire as he is "still producing good things," will earn $230m from Al Nassr during the 2025-26 season plus $50m in off-field earnings.
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first footballer to reach billionaire status, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which has valued the Portugal great's net worth at an estimated $US1.4bn. The 40-year-old striker's financial ascent comes after he signed a new contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr in June reportedly worth more than $400m. Bloomberg said that Ronaldo earned more than $550m in salary between 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18m annually, and lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than $175m to his fortune.
The 40-year-old has amassed an enormous personal fortune due to his longevity in the sport and an impressive portfolio of sponsorship deals. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index claims Ronaldo is worth £1.04bn. Which products does Ronaldo endorse? The most lucrative deal is the one with Nike, worth a reported £13.4m a year. What is his playing salary? Ronaldo signed a new, two-year contract with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr in June, worth a reported £298m.
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first active footballer to become a billionaire, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index which included his net worth in their list for the first time. Ronaldo, who was already the sport's highest-paid player, dramatically increased his wealth when he signed a lucrative contract extension with Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr earlier this year, reportedly worth over $400 million.
It used to be pretty easy to predict who would win the Ballon d'Or. You could just grab a coin, label heads as " Lionel Messi" and tails as " Cristiano Ronaldo," and flip your coin. Ideally it would be a slightly weighted coin in favor of the Messi side, unless it was one of the many years when Real Madrid won the Champions League -- in which case you'd want to reweight or relabel the sides of the coin -- but you get my point.
The Oxford-born head coach has recently been appointed Al Kholood's head coach, the first Saudi club 100 per cent owned by foreign investors, The Harburg Group, fronted by American businessman Ben Harburg. Buckingham replaces outgoing boss Noureddine Zekri, with Cosmin Contra having spent 20 days as an interim boss in between. The new boss is excited for the challenge ahead, coming up against coaches like Simone Inzaghi, and players like Cristiano Ronaldo who Buckingham is actually two days younger than.
The U.S. Soccer Federation is finalizing details for the United States to play Portugal in a friendly in March, with Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium the likely venue, multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions told ESPN. The match, if held, would see Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo play in the U.S. for the first time since 2014 when he was here as part of Real Madrid's tour of the U.S.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 139th and 140th international goals as Portugal thrashed Armenia 5-0 in their first match since the death of Diogo Jota in a car accident in July. A minute's silence was held before the World Cup qualifier in honour of Jota, who won 49 caps for Portugal, and banners were on display around the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan.
Cristiano Ronaldo criticized the state of Carrington, noting that nothing had changed since his last presence with the club in 2009. He expressed surprise over the outdated facilities, saying there was zero evolution since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure. He emphasized the need for a complete overhaul, as many amenities, such as the swimming pools, had ‘loose, chipped and missing tiles’, which is unacceptable for a club of Manchester United’s stature.
