The 28-year-old Real Madrid star is one of the most endorsable athletes in the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Age: 28
Club: Real Madrid
Annual Salary: £21m
Net Worth: £80m
Cristiano Ronaldo moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid back in 2009, in a deal worth $132m, making Ronaldo the most expensive footballer in history (a record later to be broken by Gareth Bale’s £85.6m move to Los Blancos).
The mega-money deal landed Real Madrid the Portuguese captain and Ballon d’Or winner and FIFA Player of the year 2008. Earning on average $23m per year from his Real Madrid salary (with additional bonuses for goals scored and competitions won), he is the highest paid footballer in the world – which isn’t an issue for Real Madrid who are currently the richest football club in the world.
Since joining Real Madrid, Ronaldo has been offered endless sponsorship and endorsement deals. With the likes of Emporio Armani, Pro-Evolution Soccer, Castrol and Nike wanting him to endorse their products, it is reported that the Portuguese ace has earned a further $21m a year from sponsorships alone. Not to mention the release of Ronaldo’s own underwear line CR7 which was unveiled this year and the annual revenue his boutique stores under the same name generate, it is clear that Ronaldo is one of the highest paid and most endorsable athletes.
Ronaldo is currently the Fifth Top Goalscorer in La Liga at Real Madrid. He has also scored 47 goals in 109 appearances for the Portuguese National side, including his recent hat-trick against Sweden to fire Portugal into next years 2014 World Cup in Brazil.