Add another zero to soccer’s most expensive rivalry.

Cristiano Ronaldo earned $105 million after taxes and fees in the past year despite taking a pay-cut at Juventus, landing him at No. 4 on the 2020 Forbes Celebrity 100, one spot above his top rival in the sport, Lionel Messi, and making him the first soccer player in history to earn $1 billion in salary across his playing career.

The 35-year-old striker is only the third athlete to hit the mark while still playing, following Tiger Woods, who did it in 2009 on the back of his long-term endorsement deal with Nike and Floyd Mayweather, who did it in 2017 and has made most of his income from a cut of pay-per-view sales for his boxing matches.

Ronaldo, the first to reach the earnings milestone in a team sport, has made $650 million on the pitch during his 17 years as a pro and is expected to reach $765 million in career salary with his current contract, which ends in June 2022. Messi, who began playing at the senior level three years after Ronaldo, has earned a total of $605 million in salary since 2005.

The only team athlete to even come within striking distance of those figures was former New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, who retired in 2016 after 22 years in Major League Baseball having earned $450 million in salary. Not even soccer legend David Beckham came close, ending his career with total earnings of $500 million, half of which came from off-the-pitch endorsements.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players of all time, in the world’s most popular sport, in an era when football has never been so rich,” said Sporting Intelligence’s Nick Harris, whose Global Sports Salaries Survey ranks teams worldwide based on total salary expense. “He’s box office.”

Ronaldo and Messi’s head-to-heads heated up in 2009 in Spain’s La Liga, where Ronaldo played for Real Madrid and Messi for Barcelona.

Their faceoffs on the pitch ignited a nine-year battle for bragging rights as the best—and top-paid—in the sport, a highly personal tit-for-tat that had them re-negotiating contracts in lockstep and monopolizing the game’s highlight reel.

The rivalry was as entertaining as it was profitable, coming just as clubs around the world were seeing soaring attendance and an influx of television money. The two were perfectly matched for battle, on and off the pitch: Ronaldo perfected a shirtless, stylized showmanship while Messi played the quiet game, always a tad unkempt and as prolific a scorer as he was a wingman. Ronaldo strutted after every goal. Messi was a master at thanking his teammates.

Both backed it up. Barcelona won La Liga’s title six times and two Champions Leagues trophies with Messi on the squad. Real Madrid won the Spanish title twice and the Champions League four times with Ronaldo. During their years in the league, each player nabbed the Ballon d’Or (soccer’s MVP award) four times, and El Clásico, the nickname for their clubs’ fierce clashes, was a record-setting television event worldwide.

But when it comes to leveraging celebrity, it has been no contest. Guided by Jorge Mendes of Gestifute, one of the world’s most powerful agents, Ronaldo has amassed an ever-growing following of fans and consumers drawn to his poster-boy good looks, his trend-setting hair styles, his impeccable fashion sense and, lately, his softer side as a family man whose toddlers pop up on his social media posts.

In January, he became the first person with 200 million followers on Instagram, part of a social media army of 427 million across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter that makes him the most popular athlete on the planet.

Nike pays him upwards of $20 million annually and signed him to a lifetime deal in 2016, making him just the third athlete, after Michael Jordan and LeBron James, hitched to the Swoosh for eternity.

In May, the footwear maker announced the release of a ten-year-anniversary edition of his first signature Mercurial Superfly and a child’s version to celebrate his son’s 10th birthday, complete with his famous celebration stance, signature and logo.

Pitches for Clear shampoo, Herbalife and pharmaceutical maker Abbott help raise his endorsement tally to $45 million.

Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/christinasettimi/2020/06/04/ronaldos-105-million-year-tops-messi-and-crowns-him-soccers-first-billion-dollar-man/amp/?espv=1

The GOAT has done it again

Gone are those days when one would kick and got angry whenever one was called a goat. Everyone wants to be the goat now.

Respect for the Goat .. One thing I admire a lot about this man is how is very Hard-working despite all his achievements.. time to enjoy jare..
No mind them haters ..

The like for Ronaldo and share for Messi crew will soon be here now..

Greatest of all time. You have earned it from EPL to LA LIGA and now SERIE A and even for your Country, Portugal. Your name has been etched in history forever.

Congrat Man, you deserve this and much more.

make Forbes no deny this one later o

It can only be Christiano !

They keep making more money while their fans over here keep arguing and fighting

This guy will make even more money outside football. Just imagine Ronaldo as an actor, any movie he acts will be instant Box Office. The followers on his Instagram account alone is larger than the population of most countries.

this nigga money long ee

Messi Fans Will Come And Be Shouting Vanity.

Winning both on and off the pitch.

But his net worth is not up to a billion now Kylie Jenner get money pass Messi and Ronaldo combined

GBOKASINCHA:
But his net worth is not up to a billion now Kylie Jenner get money pass Messi and Ronaldo combined

Hahaha in your dreams. Kylie that faked tax and company returns? Her brand was built on lies.

Don't even compare, they not on the same level.

Her total networth is in the region of $390 million including that of her cosmetic brand.

Dalil6:


Hahaha in your dreams. Kylie that faked tax and company returns? Her brand was built on lies.

Don't even compare, they not on the same level.

Her total networth is in the region of $390 million.

kylie Jenner is worth 1 billion according to forms even when it was downgraded to 900 million she is still worth more than Messi and Ronaldo combined Kanye west is richer than the whole juventus and Barcelona squad combined

Amotolongbo:
The GOAT has done it again

Gone are those days when one would kick and got angry whenever one was called a goat. Everyone wants to be the goat now.

You know ball

Not a news...he's known for unknown crazy stunts.

GBOKASINCHA:
kylie Jenner is worth 1 billion according to forms even when it was downgraded to 900 million she is still worth more than Messi and Ronaldo combined Kanye west is richer than the whole juventus and Barcelona squad combined

You're ignorant

Those are highly inflated figures. I can bet my balls she doesn't have up to $150 million sitting in her account right now.

If Cristiano Ronaldo was an American trust me Forbes would estimate his value at $2 billion or more.


Anyways make your findings.


https://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/kylie-jenner-is-not-a-billionaire-thats-an-invented-clickbait-headline-to-sell-magazines/?amp=1&__twitter_impression=true

The greatest sportsman ever!

How many likes for the GOAT

congrats ororo ....hardwork pays....
meanwhile messi is the real GOAT

The real Goats

We don't measure success with the amount we have in our bank Account...ok bye

#teamessi

dts so cool being the first billionare footballer but all the same it doesnt takes anything from the fact dt messi is currently leading the G.O.A.T race for the main time..footballers are rated based on thier achievements n laurels won and not based on how much is in thier account, knew that juve deal was a very lucrative one for him to dump madrid for italy knowing fully well dt his chances of winning ballon d or is very slim in juve..pls d cr7 fans am happy for him bt dnt get too carried away bcoz his move to madrid was once d highest transfer ever bt now its small money in today's transfer business and a few years from now anoda player wud be raking hundreds of billions because footballers are making mad money but i dnt think any player would dominate the world lyk this two alliens, also if football is all abt money messi would av done dt figures a long time ago bcoz all top rich clubs lyk p.s.g, mancity, those crazy guys in china n even madrid made various lucrative bids for messi and even heard abt city giving him a blank cheque to say his prize bt he ignored n still at barca and av achieved more, and lastly, currently am happy dt we all agree dt messi is d main G.O.A.T (6 ballon d or n more awards and trophies won) and cr7 is d first footballer to reach billion figures(mayb dt wud mk him win d next ballon d or)...figures dt messi and neyma would shatter before they retire...

Damnnnnn niggarrr
Isoright

The greatest thing is Messi will break that record and set a new one

That how they said one lady is a billionaire only to retract later on..... Mmm

Ororo himself
All round GOAT

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