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Despite Cristiano Ronaldo becoming the highest-paid footballer on the planet by some distance following his move to Al-Nassr, he is still not the wealthiest footballer in the world.
Chonburi Football Club's striker Faiq Bolkiah is by far the richest footballer on the planet with a personal wealth of around €18 billion.
The 24-year-old is far from a household name in world football but still eclipses the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and other high-earning players in terms of total wealth.
Bolkiah is the son of Jefri Bolkiah, the Prince of Brunei, and the grandson of Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei.
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The 24-year-old captains the Brunei national team and has represented clubs such as Southampton. Chelsea and Leicester City at the youth level.
However, he failed to make a name for himself in English football and is currently plying his trade in the Thai Premier League with Chonburi.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, is by far the highest-earning footballer in the world right now with an annual wage of €200 million.
His deal with Al-Nassr sees him earn a basic salary of €75 million per season (which becomes €200 million once bonuses, benefits, and image and likeness rights are added) until 2025.
The 38-year-old will take home the same amount for another five years until 2030 as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia as they pursue their goal of hosting the 2030 World Cup together with Egypt and Greece.
Cristiano Ronaldo's annual income of €200 million sees him eclipse the earnings of PSG trio Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Cristiano Ronaldo posts a heartfelt Instagram message on his 38th birthday
Cristiano Ronaldo posted a heartfelt message on Instagram thanking everyone for wishing him his 38th birthday.
The Portugal international celebrated his 38th birthday on February 5 and was quite naturally flooded with messages on social media.
The Al-Nassr forward posted a heartfelt message to his followers on Instagram. He wrote:
"Thank you everyone for all the birthday messages 🙏🏻❤️ grateful to have spent the day with my family and friends. 🥰
On his birthday, Ronaldo was wished by his former clubs Sporting CP and Manchester United, two clubs who played integral roles behind his development.
His boyhood club Sporting CP sent him a box, named the 'Cristiano Ronaldo Box,' as a gift.
Manchester United also posted birthday wishes for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner on his birthday, despite his unceremonious exit from Old Trafford earlier this season.
Ronaldo scored his first goal for Al-Nassr just before his birthday. The former Real Madrid superstar scored an injury-time penalty against Al Fateh to salvage a point for Rudi Garcia's team on Friday.
