CELEBRITY
RONALDO IS FOOTBALL’S FIRST BILLION-DOLLAR PLAYER
After making US$105 million (S$147 million) over the past year, Cristiano Ronaldo is now football’s first billion-dollar man.
The Portuguese broke yet another record when he totalled more than US$1 billion in earnings over the course of his 18-year playing career, reported Forbes magazine.
Of that amount, US$650 million were made through football and the rest were from all his endorsement deals off the pitch.
The Juventus forward is also expected to reach US$765 million in his playing career salary when his current contract ends in June 2022.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players of all time, in the world’s most popular sport, in an era when football has never been so rich,” said Sporting Intelligence’s Nick Harris, whose Global Sports Salaries Survey ranks teams worldwide based on total salary expense.
“He’s box office.”
Ronaldo, 35, is also only the third athlete to break the billion-dollar mark while still active, joining 15-time golf Major champion Tiger Woods and champion boxer Floyd Mayweather on that list.
Woods, 44, achieved that feat in 2009 alongside a long-term endorsement deal with Nike, while Mayweather, 43, did it in 2017 with most of his income coming from a cut of pay-per-view revenue for his boxing matches.
According to Forbes, Ronaldo earned a pre-tax total of US$105 million over the last 12 months and is the second-highest-paid athlete this year, behind only tennis great Roger Federer (US$106 million).
Ronaldo is also the most followed athlete on social media with 222 million Instagram followers. He is the third athlete to sign a lifetime deal with Nike, joining basketball stars Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi – Ronaldo’s long-time rival – started playing at the senior level in 2005, three years after Ronaldo, and is poised to also surpass the US$1 billion mark in total earnings as soon as next year.
The Argentinian, who turns 33 on June 24, has amassed US$605 million in salary throughout his playing career, not inclusive of endorsements, and had earned US$104 million over the past year.
Ronaldo’s record is a new high for team sport, considering that few team athletes besides Messi have come near those figures.
The closest was former New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez. He retired in 2016 after 22 years in Major League Baseball having earned US$480 million in salary and around US$35 million in endorsements, noted a Fox Business article published in January.
Retired English footballer David Beckham made only half of Ronaldo’s earnings, ending his 21-year career with a total income of US$500 million, half of which came from endorsements.
– The Straits Times
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo crossed one billion followers across his social media accounts, aided by his newly-launched YouTube channel that has attracted more than 60 million subscribers in just over three weeks.
Ronaldo, who scored his 900th career goal last week to help Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the Nations League, is the first human being to reach a billion followers on social media, global media reports said.
“We’ve made history, one billion followers! This is more than just a number, it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” Ronaldo posted on X.
“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey… thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life.”
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player reached the milestone with over 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook and 113 million on X.
The 39-year-old topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes this year, with off-field earnings of $60 million, boosted by his large social media following.
Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr will host Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
-Reuters
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube channel on Wednesday and hundreds of thousands of subscribers signed up within a couple of hours.
The 39-year-old five-times Ballon D’Or winner plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
“The wait is over. My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,” Ronaldo posted on his social media accounts.
A couple of hours after posting his first video, 1.69M subscribers had joined he channel.
Ronaldo has 112.5 million followers on the X platform, 170 million on Facebook and 636 million on Instagram.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player is preparing for his team’s Saudi Pro League opener against Al-Raed on Thursday.
-Reuters
Inter Miami will be the last club Argentina captain Lionel Messi plays for, the 36-year-old forward said on Wednesday, adding he feels “a little bit scared” at the thought of the day he decides to retire.
Messi, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, has a contract with the Major League Soccer side until 2025 following his arrival last summer after a spell with French champions Paris St Germain.
“Inter Miami will be my last club. I love playing football. I enjoy everything even more because I am aware that there is less and less left,” Messi told ESPN.
“I’m not ready to leave football. I’ve done this all my life, I love playing football, I enjoy training, the day-to-day, the matches… And yes, there’s always a little bit of fear that it’s all over.”
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is preparing with his national team to defend their Copa America title, with the tournament kicking off on June 20 in the United States.
Argentina will take on Canada in the opening match before facing Group A rivals Chile on June 25 and Peru four days later.
-Reuters
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