Cristiano Ronaldo has racked up millions of dollars from professional soccer contracts, endorsements and his own businesses
NEED TO KNOW
- Cristiano Ronaldo has earned millions of dollars from his soccer contracts over his decades-long career
- The Portuguese soccer player has also scored brand deals with Nike, Herbalife and other established brands
- Ronaldo has launched several of his own business ventures, too, including his fashion brand, CR7
Cristiano Ronaldo has made himself one of the most legendary and successful soccer players of all time.
Ronaldo played for United for six years before he was traded to Real Madrid for a six-year, €94 million contract, which broke the record for the most expensive transfer in history at the time, per The New York Times. He continued playing with Real Madrid past his 2016 contract expiration and signed extensions to play until the end of the 2018 season.
After Real Madrid, he signed on with Italian club Juventus in 2018 for €100 million and became the highest paid player in Italy, per The Guardian. He briefly returned to United before transferring to a Saudi Arabian club for €200 million per year — the most expensive football salary ever, per ESPN.
In addition to his successful soccer career, Ronaldo has also made waves in the fashion, fitness, health and wellness industries with various businesses. He has also been named one of the most marketable athletes by Statista and has signed sponsorship deals with several companies — including Nike, Herbalife and Binance. Although Ronaldo has brought in millions of dollars each year, he previously shared that money no longer motivates him.
“I don’t know how much money I have. It’s not the money that moves me,” Ronaldo said in 2014, per Soccer America. “It’s true that at first it did, when I had nothing. Then I wanted to have money for me and my family because I was raised with nothing.”
Most recently, the soccer superstar made headlines when he proposed to longtime girlfriend Georgina Rodríguez with a colossal diamond engagement ring valued up to $5 million.
So, what is Cristiano Ronaldo’s net worth? Here’s everything to know about how the star soccer athlete built his multi-million-dollar fortune.
What is Cristiano Ronaldo’s net worth?
Ronaldo has an approximate net worth of $275 million, according to Forbes.
Forbes also ranked him the world’s highest-paid athlete of 2025, the highest-paid soccer player of 2024 and the fourth highest-paid celebrity of 2020.
How much has Cristiano Ronaldo made from soccer?
Ronaldo has broken several records for his expensive contracts to European professional soccer clubs over his professional career. In 2020, he became the first active team-sport athlete to earn more than $1 billion over his decades-long career, per Forbes. As of 2025, the outlet reported that approximately $225 million of his net worth has come from his soccer salaries and winnings.
By the time Ronaldo was 18 years old, he signed a five-year contract with Manchester United for £12.24 million in 2003, which was a record at the time.
After six years with United, Ronaldo transferred to his “dream club,” Real Madrid for €94 million in 2009. The six-year deal secured a roughly €13 million annual salary each year, per The Guardian. At the time, the transfer fee was the largest in history and surpassed the previous record by over €20 million, per UEFA.
Ronaldo played with Real Madrid until 2018 when he transferred to Italian club Juventus. The transfer fee and ancillary fee added up to a combined €112 million, in addition to an annual salary of approximately €30 million, according to the CNBC. The total four-year contract was estimated to be around €340 million.
After three years with Juventus, Ronaldo and the Italian club reached an agreement for him to rejoin his former club, Manchester United. The two-year contract included an initial transfer fee of €15 million and potential earnings up to €8 million, ESPN reported at the time.
In December 2022, Ronaldo switched teams again and joined Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr. He signed a two-year contract, that expired in 2025, for €200 million per year, according to The Guardian.
The BBC reported at the time that this was the highest soccer salary ever. Ronaldo extended his contract for another two years in 2025 for a reported $936 million, according to NBC Sports.
How much has Ronaldo made from sponsorships?
In addition to being one of the most successful athletes of all time, Ronaldo is also the most followed person on Instagram. As of August 2025, his profile boasts 662 million followers, with each of his posts earning millions of likes and thousands of comments.
Of Ronaldo’s $275 million net worth, approximately $50 million stems from his endorsements and sponsorships, per Forbes. Among his other endorsements, he reportedly signed a $1 billion lifetime deal with Nike in 2016, according to Forbes. Ronaldo also has endorsements with Herbalife, Binance, TAG Heuer, MTG, Therabody, Panini and Whoop, among several others.
Ronaldo has not disclosed how much money he makes with each sponsorship, but CNN reported in 2023 that he earns an average of $3.23 million per sponsored post on Instagram, making him the most expensive person on the platform.
What other businesses has Cristiano Ronaldo founded?
Ronaldo has also launched his own successful companies and invested in others. In 2013, he launched his fashion brand CR7 with Danish manufacturer JBS Textile Group to create luxury underwear and sock lines.
In 2015, Ronaldo expanded into fragrances, and he launched the Cristiano Ronaldo fragrance line.
Ronaldo has also founded several companies in the health and wellness space — including mineral water brand URSU, fitness and wellness app Erakulis and athlete recovery program AVA. In June 2025, Ronaldo and his now-fiancée, Rodríguez, co-founded the real estate agency, Bellhatria Real Estate, which is “dedicated to offering exceptional properties,” per the agency’s Instagram.
In addition to his fashion and wellness brands, Ronaldo also co-founded Insparya, a European health clinic specializing in hair transplants. Ronaldo has invested in other projects, including hotels, restaurants and private jets.
What has Ronaldo said about his wealth?
As Ronaldo’s career has skyrocketed over the years and he’s signed different expensive contracts, he’s also had to defend his decisions and maintain that he’s more concerned about his legacy and playing than money.
Amid his contract with Real Madrid in 2012, Ronaldo posted on X (then Twitter), per Reuters, “I am accused of wanting more money, but one day it will be shown that this is not the case.”
In 2016, Ronaldo reflected on his long career and told ON E TV, per BeSoccer, “I’m glad and blessed to sign these huge contracts at my age. It’s unbelievable. It’s going to give me more motivation to continue working hard and maintain my level.”
He also clarified that money is not his main motivation and added, “To me money is not the most important thing. I’m looking to money only as a means to become comfortable and independent after I finish football.”
After Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018, he once again denied leaving for financial reasons and instead claimed that he didn’t feel as supported by Real Madrid President, Florentino Pérez, in an interview with France Football.
However, after Ronaldo signed his 2022 deal with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, he faced some criticism from fans after he had just recently said on Piers Morgan Uncensored that he was motivated by the wanting to “keep [playing] at the top,” rather than money.
Read the original article on People
10
