Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for COVID-19. Here's how the 2nd highest-paid athlete on the planet makes and spends his millions.
Tyler Lauletta,Katie Warren
- Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most popular and highest-paid athletes in the world, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Portuguese Football Federation said Tuesday.
- The Portuguese soccer player brought in $109 million in 2019, according to Forbes, making him the second highest-paid athlete behind Lionel Messi.
- He's the most-followed athlete on social media, with more than 450 million total followers.
- After nine years with Real Madrid, Ronaldo joined Juventus in 2018 with a four-year deal that's worth $64 million annually.
- Ronaldo's fame comes with a lot of perks, a ton of money, and plenty of toys to spend it on.
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most famous and well-paid athletes on the planet, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Portuguese Football Federation said in a statement Tuesday.
The 35-year-old Portugese soccer star is "doing well, without symptoms, and in isolation," according to the statement. After Ronaldo tested positive, his teammates all took new tests and received negative results, the federation said.
Ronaldo, who plays as a forward for Juventus, brought in $109 million in 2019, according to Forbes, making him the second highest-paid athlete behind only Lionel Messi.
After nine seasons with Real Madrid, Ronaldo signed a four-year deal in 2018 with Italian powerhouse Juventus that's worth $64 million annually, according to Forbes.
Here's how Ronaldo makes and spends his millions.
Tony Manfred and Melissa Stranger also contributed to this post.
Cristiano Ronaldo earned $109 million in 2019, according to Forbes, making him the second highest-paid sports star in the world.
He was surpassed only by Lionel Messi, who brought in $127 million.
More than 40% of that income — $44 million — was from endorsement deals with companies like Tag Heuer, Clear Haircare, and Nike.
He also promoted nutrition company Herbalife and a hair transplant company.
Ronaldo's deal with Nike will reportedly be worth $1 billion throughout the course of his life.
The 2016 deal could go on for decades after he's retired from soccer, according to CNBC.
He also has deals with companies like Tag Heuer, Altice, DAZN, Electronic Arts, Herbalife, MTG, Nike
It's no surprise that Ronaldo earns such a high price for his endorsements with his massive social media following. He's the most followed athlete on social media, according to Forbes.
With more than 240 million followers on Instagram, 123 million on Facebook, and 88.4 million more on Twitter, he's one of the most popular athletes on the planet.
He was the most followed person on Instagram as of October 2020.
The sponsorship deals are on top of his mega-contract with Juventus, which pays him $138 million over four years — and he'll likely make even more money in bonuses.
Juventus also paid a $117 million transfer fee just to acquire the footballing legend.
So what does he spend his money on? One of Ronaldo's biggest hobbies is cars. He drives a $300,000 (£207,000) Lamborghini Aventador, along with his Maserati (pictured).
He also reportedly owns a Bentley, a Porsche, and a Mercedes, among others.
In March 2019, Ronaldo added a $360,000 Rolls Royce to his collection, a car that only the world's best and richest players have been able to get their hands on.
He's not always careful with his vehicles, though.
In 2009, Ronaldo crashed a $320,000 (£221,000) Ferrari in Manchester, where he used to play.
Ronaldo is reportedly a fan of cryotherapy, where the body is subjected to temperatures as low as minus 264 degrees Fahrenheit to help muscles recover and to heighten alertness.
In 2013, he had a cryochamber worth almost $50,000 installed in his home.
Ronaldo also owns a home in New York City.
In 2015, he reportedly dropped $18.5 million on an apartment in Manhattan's Trump Tower.
Before Ronaldo purchased it, the swanky 2,500-square-foot residence belonged to Alessandro Proto, a former business partner of Donald Trump's, Business Insider reported at the time.
Ronaldo has also spent some of his fortune opening a football-themed hotel in his hometown of Madeira, Portugal.
The 48-room Pestana CR7, which is partially-owned by Ronaldo, has hallways that are carpeted with faux-grass to look like a soccer field, as well as sports memorabilia such as Ronaldo's shirts, trophies, and sneakers, throughout the hotel.
Ronaldo also been spotted wearing a $160,000 Jacob and Co. watch — a perk of having an endorsement deal with the company.
It's unclear whether his deal with Jacob and Co. is still in effect.
In 2015, Ronaldo reportedly paid nearly $30,000 to have a wax statue of himself made that he could keep at home.
According to The Independent, Ronaldo decided he wanted a wax sculpture of himself after seeing the first wax likeness of himself at Madrid's Museum of Wax
Ronaldo reportedly pays for a hair stylist to see the original version at Madrid's Museum of Wax once a month to make sure the hairstyle is current.
"Cristiano told us to be sure his figure was perfect," the museum's communications director told a local news outlet.
Ronaldo's fame and wealth has made his love life a constant source of media scrutiny.
He has dated Irina Shayk, the supermodel who went on to date actor Bradley Cooper for four years.
The couple split up in January 2015 after five years together.
Since then, Ronaldo appears to have settled in with girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez.
In November 2017, Rodriguez gave birth to baby daughter Alana Martina, Ronaldo's fourth child.
He also had twins born a few months earlier, reportedly via a surrogate.
Rumors of the couple's engagement started swirling after Rodriguez was spotted at the 2018 World Cup sporting an impressive ring.
But in February 2019, Rodriguez denied that the two were engaged.
'I'd love to," she told Hola! magazine. "Now we have priorities, but in the future it would be wonderful to become his wife."
Ronaldo's oldest son, Cristiano Jr., is turning into quite the footballer himself.
The 10-year-old joined Juventus' academy at the same time his father joined the team.
"He is playing for Juventus and adapting really well," Ronaldo told DAZN of his son. "It has been easier for him than for me."
Ronaldo is also a fashion aficionado, often seen wearing expensive suits and watches.
In December 2019, he was spotted wearing the most expensive watch Rolex has ever made, worth $500,000, to a conference in Dubai.
Ronaldo has even established his own fashion brand — CR7 — that carries everything from shoes and cleats, to denim, to underwear and even fragrances.
He started modeling Armani underwear in 2009, replacing British soccer star David Beckham.
Source: Women's Wear Daily
In 2018, Ronaldo was reportedly fined $21.8 million in a Spanish tax evasion case.
He had been accused of diverting income to a tax haven in the British Virgin Islands.
Ronaldo has said that he wants to be a movie star after his soccer career is over.
He told Sky Italia in 2018 that when he retires he wants "to try other things; for example, to do movies."
But in 2015, Ronaldo was reportedly paid $22 million not to appear in a film being made by Martin Scorsese because the subject of the film didn't want the athlete in the movie.
The soccer star had been set to have a role in a film about the life of Italian real estate agent Alessandro Proto after Ronaldo's Trump Tower apartment in New York was chosen as a filming location. But Proto objected to Ronaldo being in the film, resulting in the hefty payout.
In 2018, it was reported that Ronaldo was in talks with Facebook about a reality show that would follow the soccer superstar off the field and could earn him $10 million.
It was also rumored that American footballer Tom Brady would be involved in the project through his company Religion of Sports.
Ronaldo's pretty-boy image hasn't always been appreciated by opposing fans, but he doesn't seem to be bothered by it.
"I think that because I am rich, handsome and a great player people are envious of me," he told The Guardian in 2011. "I don't have any other explanation."
Ronaldo gives away some of his fortune to charity.
His donations have included $165,000 (£114,000) to a Portuguese cancer center and $83,000 (£57,000) to fund a 10-year-old fan's brain surgery.
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