Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer’s first-ever billionaire: He went from begging for burgers outside McDonald’s to landing a $400 million contract

Cristiano Ronaldo has long been one of soccer’s (or football’s) greatest goal-scorers, dazzling millions of fans at top European clubs including Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus—as well as the all-time top scorer for the Portuguese national team. But he also recently reached another milestone: becoming the sport’s first-ever billionaire.

Fueled by lucrative endorsements, savvy investments, and a record-breaking salary, Ronaldo’s net worth has topped $1.4 billion, according Bloomberg‘s October 2025 calculation. His latest contract renewal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr is reportedly worth more than $400 million alone—all tax-free.

But Ronaldo’s current life of extreme wealth and fame is a far cry from his humble beginnings. He has spoken openly about living in poverty, while growing up on the island of Madeira, Portugal.

“When I was a kid, 11 or 12 years old, we didn’t have money,” he recalled to ITV in 2019. As the youngest of four with a father with alcoholism, his family struggled so much financially that his mother wanted to abort him. He and his siblings would often wait outside a local McDonald’s late at night, hoping the workers might sneak them leftover Big Macs.

The 41-year-old said he’ll never forget those moments—even decades after waiting hungry outside a fast-food restaurant, now sitting atop his billion-dollar global empire.

Ronaldo’s big-name endorsements: $18 million a year just from Nike 

Off the pitch, Ronaldo’s global recognition has made him one of the most marketable athletes in history. With more than 669 million Instagram followers—the most of any person on the platform—brands are lining up to partner with him.

Ronaldo reportedly earns nearly $18 million each year from a decade-long deal with Nike, while other endorsement campaigns with companies like Armani and Castrol have added more than $175 million to his net worth, according to Bloomberg. Major brands like Binance, Tag Heuer, Samsung, Unilever, and Louis Vuitton have also partnered with the soccer superstar.

He also owns his own brand, CR7, which includes custom fragrances, underwear, footwear, and even bottled mineral water. Ronaldo is additionally an investor in a hotel chain, gyms and a media group, but according to Bloomberg, they remain small wealth drivers.

As part of his deal with Al-Nassr, Ronaldo reportedly received a 15% stake in the soccer club—a team-owning trend that has been embraced by fellow stars David Beckham and, eventually, Lionel Messi, who are affiliated with Inter Miami CF. In June 2026, Forbes reported Messi had also reached billionaire status.

Soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo is one of few billionaire athletes, including Roger Federer and Michael Jordan

Between 2002 and 2023, Ronaldo earned more than $550 million in player salaries alone—putting him in rare company among athletes who’ve achieved billionaire status. That puts him alongside tennis legend Roger Federer and fewer than a dozen others who have crossed the billion-dollar mark.

Yet unlike many of his peers, Ronaldo’s fortune has been driven primarily by his playing contracts rather than outside ventures. Federer, for instance, became a billionaire earlier this year despite earning just over $130 million in prize money from more than two decades on the court. His real windfall came from a 3% stake in Swiss shoe company On, which he purchased in 2019. As the brand’s popularity soared, so did Federer’s fortune—his stake alone is now worth around $500 million. 

Similarly, Michael Jordan, known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, earned about $90 million during his career on the court. However, he’s become worth some $4.3 billion according to Forbes thanks to longtime deals with companies like Nike and Gatorade. He also is the co-owner of a NASCAR team and holds a minority stake in the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets franchise.

A version of this story originally published on Fortune.com on October 8, 2025.

More on sports success:

• Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
• World Cup teams will be paid a record $871 million: Each team will get $12.5 million as a bare minimum for playing and ‘preparation money’
• Cape Verde’s Roberto Lopes was working at a bank when he was recruited on LinkedIn to play soccer—he thought it was spam, now he’s at the World Cup

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com