Cristiano Ronaldo has a new record to add to his ever-growing list of accolades. The Portuguese star is now the first soccer player in history to crack $1 billion in career earnings.
Ronaldo, 35, becomes just the third athlete to ever reach this level of wealth, joining Tiger Woods and Floyd Mayweather Jr. He is the first team-sport athlete to accomplish the feat. According to Forbes’ Christina Settimi, Ronaldo is now No. 4 on the list of highest-paid celebrities—one spot above rival Lionel Messi. Kylie Jenner, Kanye West and Roger Federer rank one through three, respectively.
Ronaldo reportedly earned $105 million over the last year while Messi earned $104 million.
Per Forbes, more than half of Ronaldo’s billion has come from club contracts, with the striker earning $650 million through professional soccer alone, a number the outlet expects to reach $765 million when his current contract expired in June 2022: Continue reading