Cristiano Ronaldo breaks records with his staggering R4 billion-a-year contract

News24

03-07-2025

Cristiano Ronaldo is rolling in the money.
His new contract with Al-Nassr makes Lionel Messi's R60 million per week salary look like pocket change.
The Portuguese star has played for the Saudi-based team since 2023 and has been handsomely rewarded for his loyalty to the club.
Firstly, just for extending his contract with the team until 2027, he was paid £24.5m (R588 million). If he activates the second year of his contract, this figure will increase to £38m (R912 million).
As for his actual salary, the 40-year-old will earn £178m a year (a little more than R4 billion), which equates to just over R82 million a week.
Every time he scores a goal, he will get an £80 000 (R1.92 million) bonus. This will increase by 20% in the second year.
When he provides an assist to a teammate, that's another £40 000 (R968 000) in the bank. This too will increase by 20% in the second year.
He will also receive a bonus if he wins the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot, if his team wins the Saudi Pro League title, and if Al-Nassr qualify for the Asian Champions League and win it.
The Saudi club has also given him 15% ownership of Al-Nassr, estimated to be worth £33m (R792 million).
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The club was keen to retain Cristiano, as his presence has boosted the Saudi League's profile over the years, helping attract stars like Neymar, Jhon Durán and Sadio Mané.
A source close to the club's owners says Cristiano is aware of how much they need him.
'They had to 'cover him in gold' to keep him, giving him even more money, perks, and bonuses than in his first deal, as he is the face of the league and, in their opinion, the best player ever in the history of the game.
'If he left, that would have been a huge blow for us and for the whole league. He's our treasure now, and we have to keep him and protect him at all costs, even if he has to be paid more than ever.'
Off the pitch, Cristiano, his partner Georgina Rodríguez and their five children will have 16 people working for them full-time, paid for by the club.
This includes three drivers, four housekeepers, two chefs, three gardeners and four security personnel.
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If the famous family wants to travel, Al-Nassr will cover R96 million worth of private jet expenses. The team has also promised Cristiano £60m (R1.4 billion) in sponsorship deals with Saudi companies.
And how does Cristiano's new contract compare to other players in the Saudi league?
Well, there's no comparison.
'He's probably getting paid as much as the entire league is generating in revenue,' says Victor Matheson, a US-based economist who specialises in sports.
The only other contract that can be compared to Cristiano's is David Beckham's 2007 deal with LA Galaxy.
'When he was signed, he was making more personally than any other team, and making as much as the bottom eight teams combined in payroll with just his salary. And part of that deal included rights to have his own franchise in the future, which turned into Inter Miami.'
Cristiano's soccer contract is just one of the ways in which he's making money.
He's used his fame and success to build a business empire that could rival any CEO, with ventures spanning a hotel chain in his native Portugal, his CR7 clothing brand, gyms, a movie production company and a hair transplant clinic.
He's also the most followed soccer player on Instagram, with 659 million followers, and is the highest-paid influencer on the platform, earning approximately R69 million per sponsored post.