Cristiano Ronaldo continues to shatter records during his trophy-laden playing career – and the Juventus talisman is now the first footballer to reach $1 billion in earnings.
The 35-year-old forward has earned $105 million (£82.6 million) before taxes and fees over the past year which sees him occupy fourth spot, behind Kylie Jenner, Kanye West and Roger Federer, on the 2020 Forbes Celebrity 100.
Ronaldo’s exorbitant income has also allowed him to edge one place above rival Lionel Messi and he becomes just the third athlete to reach the milestone while still playing.
Tiger Woods and Floyd Mayweather are the other two household names to have matched his achievement, but Portuguese icon Ronaldo has now set the standard for footballers across the world.
He is the first star to hit the $1 billion mark in a team sport, and has made an eye-watering $650 million (£511 million) on the field alone during his 17 years as a professional player.
According to Forbes, he is even expected to reach $765 million (£602 million) for his career salary at the end of his current Juventus deal, which expires in June 2022.
Barcelona superstar Messi, in comparison, has earned a grand total of $605 million (£475 million) from his various pay packets since 2005.
According to Sporting Intelligence’s Nick Harris, whose company ranks worldwide teams according to their total salary expense, Ronaldo is undoubtably “box office”.
He added: “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.”
The rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi in LaLiga has ensured both players are the perfect clients for a host of companies seeking to sponsor them – but it is the former who boasts the greater success in the boardroom.
Ronaldo is managed by super agent Jorge Mendes, and the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star has amassed an ever-increasing following on social media.
He became the first person with 200m followers on Instagram in January, and his total fandom across Facebook, Twitter and the photo sharing app amounts to $427 million.
The supremely marketable athlete is paid more than $20 million (£15 million) annually by Nike, and signed a lifetime deal with the world-renowned brand in 2016.
Further deals with Clear shampoo, Herbalife HLF and pharmaceutical maker Abbott brings Ronaldo’s overall endorsement total to $45 million (£35 million).
Forbes believes that Ronaldo Inc. is part of a trademark that collects a quarter of his endorsement income in a year.
The former Sporting Lisbon prodigy also formed a partnership with Pestana Hotel Group in 2015, and has become heavily involved with a series of gyms alongside Crunch Fitness.
Most recently, Ronaldo posted a seven-step workout tutorial for his followers during lockdown with Crunch.