Cristiano Ronaldo beats Lionel Messi to become world’s first billionaire footballer

Cristiano Ronaldo has touched a significant milestone off the field as he becomes the first billion-dollar footballer, beating arch-rival Lionel Messi who remains second in the list of richest footballers.

In his mid-thirties but Cristiano Ronaldo continues to set record both on and off the field. The Juventus and Portugal footballer has now beaten his arch-rival, Lionel Messi, in becoming the first billionaire footballer in the world. The Juventus forward earned a whopping USD 105 million before taxes and fees in the past one year to be crowned the sport’s first billion-dollar man.

Ronaldo finished at the No. 4 spot in 2020 Forbes Celebrity 100, with Barcelona captain Messi No. 5. Overall, Ronaldo is only the third athlete to touch the billion-dollar mark, with Tiger Woods being the first (having done so in 2009) and Floyd Mayweather the second (in 2017).

The Portuguese footballer, in fact, is the first athlete to do so when it comes to a team sport. So far in his glorious 17-year-old career, Ronaldo had aggregated a total of $650 million and is now set to reach $765 million in career salary when his current contract concludes in June 2022. The rest (roughly $350 million) comes from sponsorship deals.

Times Now