Cristiano Ronaldo's net worth is more impressive than you think

Ronaldo’s brilliance has brought him wealth

Football fans all over the world have keenly followed the phenomenal career of Cristiano Ronaldo, as he has gone from being a highly promising teenager, to Manchester United wonder kid, to Real Madrid superstar. The goal machine is known for his ridiculous physique, supreme technical abilities as well as his pinpoint shooting skills, which have led him to win almost everything there is to win as a player – the three Ballon D’Ors being his crowning achievements.

Ronaldo’s prowess on the field and his impeccable style sense off it have also enabled him to rake in the cash, making him the highest paid footballer in the world. But how much does one of sports’ most loved stars earn, exactly? A look at Cristiano Ronaldo’s net worth is pretty eye-opening.

The first source of his enormous wealth, according to Forbes, is of course the enormous salary he draws as a player of Real Madrid, which stands at a staggering $52 million per year, broken down to $1 million per week.

That figure looks ridiculous to any normal player, but is worth every penny to Real Madrid. Ronaldo has scored an astounding 313 goals in 302 appearances for the Los Blancos since they broke the bank to pay Manchester United £80 million for his signature (which had made him the world’s most expensive footballer then).

Brand endorsements – a significant contributor to Ronaldo’s income

A large chunk of Ronaldo’s income, as researched by The Richest, comes from his sponsorship deals with various brands such as Nike, who have fitted Ronaldo with their Mercurial brand of boots. There’s also Herbalife, Swiss luxury watchmaker TagHeuer, Castrol, video game giant Konami, mobile manufacturer Motorola, Airline Emirates, Samsung, as well as food giant KFC who have acquired the services of the Portuguese.

All these endorsements earned Ronaldo an incredible $27 million last year, which makes him one of the world’s most marketable footballers on the planet. Naturally, brands have paid him top dollar to use his popularity and convert it into sales of their products.

Ronaldo also has his own business interests and owns two fashion boutiques in his homeland titled ‘CR7’ – a combination of his initials and jersey number. The 30-year-old also has his own underwear line along with a range of shirts and shoes, under his CR7 brand. Ronaldo’s recently released fragrance, Legacy, is also expected to rake in plenty of cash.

Ronaldo’s net worth taking into consideration all his sources of income is reported to be $280 million – that’s a pretty impressive number!

Ronaldo’s net worth has attracted a lot of critics, who question the ridiculous amount of money he draws in and constantly bring up his supposed ‘attitude problem’. My question is: doesn’t his brilliance as a player totally justify the money paid to him?

As for his ‘attitude problem’, don’t people realize that every sport comes with its fair share of emotions? The athletes, who are human beings, are allowed an occasional outburst here and there; even Ronaldo’s rival Lionel Messi is prone to rash emotions, which were displayed earlier this year.

Regardless of his doubters and haters, Ronaldo will definitely go down as one of the best sportsmen of all time, a quality that outweighs how much he earns 10:1. Cristiano Ronaldo’s net worth has been put to good use too, with huge amounts going to charity, including needy children.

Some would say Ronaldo’s heart is as golden as the three Ballon D’Ors he has won!