Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first billionaire footballer

Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first footballer to reach billionaire status, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which has valued the Portugal great’s net worth at an estimated $1.4bn, Aljazeera reported.

The 40-year-old striker’s financial ascent comes after he signed a new contract with the Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr in June reportedly worth more than $400m.

Bloomberg said Ronaldo earned more than $550m in salary from 2002 to 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18m annually and lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than $175m to his fortune, according to Aljazeera.