Cristiano Ronaldo reaches billionaire status, Bloomberg says

Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first footballer valued at more than $1bn, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index reported. The 40-year-old Portugal forward, now at Al-Nassr, is listed with a net worth of $1.4bn (£1.04bn).

Bloomberg’s assessment factors in career salary, endorsements and investments. It estimates Ronaldo earned in excess of $550m (£410m) in salary between 2002 and 2023 and highlights long-running commercial ties — including a decade-long Nike deal worth almost $18m (£13.4m) a year.

Al-Nassr deal and contract details

When he moved to the Saudi Pro League in 2022 Ronaldo was reported to be the highest-paid player in football history, on a salary of about £177m a year. His original contract was set to run until June 2025, but he has since signed a new two-year agreement reportedly worth more than $400m (£298m), which will keep him at the club past his 42nd birthday.

How it compares with Lionel Messi

Bloomberg’s breakdown places Lionel Messi’s career pre-tax salary at more than $600m (£447m). Since 2023 Messi has had guaranteed annual pay of around $20m (£15m) — roughly 10% of what Bloomberg says Ronaldo has earned in the same period. Messi, 38, is expected to receive a stake in Inter Miami when he retires.

• Net worth (Bloomberg): $1.4bn (£1.04bn) — Cristiano Ronaldo
• Salary 2002–2023: more than $550m (£410m)
• Nike deal: almost $18m (£13.4m) per year (10-year term)
• Al-Nassr 2022 salary: £177m per year
• New Al-Nassr deal: reportedly >$400m (£298m) over two years
• Lionel Messi career pre-tax salary: more than $600m (£447m)

Bloomberg’s index compiles public data on pay, endorsements and investments to rank individual fortunes. For Ronaldo, a long career on and off the pitch has finally pushed his net worth past the billion-dollar mark.