Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo still claims he didn’t go to Saudi Arabia because of his salary of 200 million euros a year, but because of the sport and being able to lift football in the desert country. We didn’t believe it was true, but when he feels he has to supplement his salary with various assignments, it may be true.
Football Leaks writes that Cristiano Ronaldo can be “rented” by companies – but at a staggering price.
Ronaldo, 40, is currently at Al-Nassr after playing for clubs such as Sporting CP, Manchester United, Juventus and Real Madrid, and in the process scooped up some Ballon d’Or awards.
Aside from his generational ability on the pitch, off the pitch he is one of the most recognizable figures on the planet – with over 650 million Instagram followers, making him the most followed person on the platform.
His popularity has allowed him to amass fortunes from brand deals.
Der Spiegel journalists Rafael Buschmann and Michael Wulzinger have uncovered details about how much it costs to hire the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
The book reveals that Mobily, a Saudi Arabian telecom company, struck a deal with Ronaldo’s Irish image rights company, Multisports & Image Management. They would get four and a half hours of his time, and this consisted of a photo shoot, five signed shirts and two plugs across social media channels, where he is said to earn around £1.6 million per sponsored post in today’s market.
Although Mobily was allowed to use photos taken on the day, the advertising was only regional, as publication was limited to the Middle East and North Africa. Ronaldo and his representatives have supposedly charged the company a whopping £920,000 for the aforementioned services.
The sum works out as £204,000 per hour, £3,407 per minute, and £56.78 for every second he spent delivering the services. It must be taken into account that the book was published in 2018, and seven years on the amount Ronaldo could potentially earn from such a venture much higher.
Despite earning huge amounts of money, Ronaldo insisted that he moved to Saudi Arabia in 2022 to “leave a legacy”.
“I came here to win, to make the league better,” Ronaldo told Saudi Pro League: Kick Off in 2024.
“I want to leave a legacy. That’s what I want. They say I’m done, that I’m just here for the money… I still feel the passion. They don’t believe it, but I’m here to win.”
This sponsorship, which is for the game UFL, Ronaldo will receive his usual fee plus a part of the income.
Nike, which is Ronaldo’s life’s sponsor, pays a nice round sum of a billion dollars.
