Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer biggest Earner

Cristiano Ronaldo is the first football star to break $1 billion earnings milestone

Cristiano Ronaldo Juventus forward, has become the first footballer in the world to earn $1 billion in his career.

According to Forbes, the 35-year-old is just the third athlete after Tiger Woods and Floyd Mayweather to hit the $1 billion earnings mark while still actively competing.

$650 million of Ronaldo’s career earnings have come from salary, while the rest comes off the pitch.

Ronaldo also earned around $45 million via endorsements in the past year.

Recall that the 35-year-old earned $105 million in the 365 days between June 1, 2019, and June 1, 2020, when the list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world was released late last month.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s total earnings figure for the past year was second only to tennis superstar, Roger Federer in the athletic world and it made him the number one in the game of football

Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi rivalry

Ronaldo made a pre-tax total of $105 million this year, making him the second-highest-paid athlete over the last 12 months — behind only Roger Federer.

His fierce rival Lionel Messi has amassed $605 million through football contracts since starting his senior career but has remained at Barcelona throughout his career.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, has been involved in lucrative moves to some of the biggest clubs on the planet, including Manchester United, Real Madrid and current team Juventus.

He has won five Ballon d’Or awards during his career which has been littered with success. The 35-year-old won the domestic title three times in England, twice in Spain and once so far in Italy.

He can also boast five Champions League winners’ medals and he inspired his country to victory at Euro 2016.

The forward is also the most followed athlete on social media with 222 million Instagram followers.

His global attraction helped Juventus sell 520,000 Ronaldo shirts worth over $60 million within 24 hours of going on sale, according to Forbes.

His lifetime deal with Nike, signed in 2016, also brings the Portuguese international upwards of $20 million a year. He’s only the third athlete to sign with the brand for life, joining Michael Jordan and LeBron James.