Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo is no stranger to breaking records.
The Portuguese took the football world by storm when he first joined the Red Devils in 2003, and although his return four years ago didn’t end on the best of terms he will always be a significant figure in the club’s history.
Financial milestone reached
The 40-year-old’s trophy cabinet is bursting at the seams, its shelves sagging under the weight of medals picked up at United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr as well as on international duty – not to mention his five Ballon d’Ors.
And having signed a gigantic new contact in Saudi Arabia his bank balance is also feeling the strain as Ronaldo becomes the first ever billionaire footballer.
This was confirmed today by Bloomberg, whose Billionaires Index places his net worth at a staggering $1.4 billion. He is “the first footballer identified by the index to achieve that status”.
The Mirror note that Ronaldo’s first deal upon joining Al-Nassr was worth £173m per year, but that his new contract at the club will net him some £492m over two years.
Passionate defence of Saudi Pro League
Ronaldo’s motivation for moving to the Saudi Pro League has long been questioned, with the eye-watering wages prompting cynical responses in many quarters.
But the player himself is adamant that it can become one of the best leagues in the world. As per the Mirror, he said: “Of course, we [the Saudi Pro League] are still improving but I believe that in this moment that we are in top five [leagues in the world ] already.
“I still believe that we will continue to improve, and we have time and we have shown in the last two years that the league is going up all the time.”
He added: “I am happy because I know that the league is very competitive. Only the people who have never played in Saudi, they don’t understand nothing about football say this league is not top five [in the world].
“I believe 100% in my words, and the people that play in this league they know what I am talking about.”
Retirement plans
Speaking after an awards ceremony in Portugal, via Goal, Ronaldo said he wants to keep playing “for a few years, not many”.
He continued: “People, especially my family, say, ‘It’s time for you to stop. You’ve done everything. Why do you want to score a thousand goals?’ But I don’t think so.
“I think I’m still producing good things, I’m helping my club and the national team, and why not keep going? I’m sure that when it’s over, I’ll leave feeling fulfilled, because I gave it my all. I know I don’t have many more years, but I try to enjoy the few I have to the fullest.”
Featured image Yasser Bakhsh via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
