First of all, I would need several minutes to process that I am worth $480 million, with an amazing personal 19-car collection estimated at almost $5 million. This includes a Bugatti Veyron, a Lamborgini Aventador LP 700-4, a Bentley Continental GTC, a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, a Ferrari F430, a Bentley GT Speed and a Ferrari 599 GTO.
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently ranked as one of the best football players of all time, playing at a level higher than almost every other footballer on the planet. Having a larger than life presence on the field and off, he has a combined social media following of over 210 million followers. He is the most followed sportsman in the world!
He is not only a fantastic footballer but an extremely shrewd business man. Although he intends to play until he is 40, he is already planning his life after football. His popular CR7 branded shoes, clothing and underwear line, as well as his recent partnership and huge investment with Pestana Hotels. They will be building four CR7 branded hotels valued at $80 million. The first two hotels in the project will be opened in his town of birth Funchal, Madeira and Lisbon in Summer 2016, Madrid in 2017 and an early 2018 opening in New York.
He may be self obsessed but he is a man of heart. Named as the most charitable athlete on earth in 2015, he continues to live up to his reputation. He donated his entire 600,000 pounds UEFA Champions League victory bonus to charity in May 2016. Believe it or not, but also following his recent Champions league victory with Real Madrid, he moved his self-financed museum in Madeira – the island of his birth to a new two-storey site to “welcome his future trophies”. The museum with 160 trophies on display boasts the success of Madeira’s most famous son and draws over 200,000 visitors a year.
CR7 is the most marketable athlete in the world with lucrative endorsement deals that put his Real Madrid salary to shame. He currently has the fourth most lucrative endorsement deal in the world of sports with Nike, where he is getting paid about $21.7 million a year. Little wonder, the new innovative advertisement campaign from the personal sportswear sponsor of Cristiano Ronaldo that launched globally on June 9th asks – What happens when you wake up one day and you are Ronaldo?
Well, don’t ask me just yet. I’m still stuck in front of the mirror staring at my reflection and trying to decide what supercar in my garage to take for a spin!
Images courtesy of ronaldo7.net, shughal.com and en.as.com