Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly made a whopping £60 million last year from his salary and endorsements, bringing him to the top of Forbes highest-paid athletes. With this ranking, CR7 becomes the first footballer to achieve this record.
The Portuguese star has topped the Forbes list of the world’s highest paid athletes for the first time in history and with this achievement, the famous Real Madrid player became the first footballer to do so.
At 31, Ronaldo earned £38.4 million from salary and £21.6 million from endorsements to take him to the number one spot.
The retirement of boxer Floyd Mayweather left a vacancy at the top for the Portuguese sportsman to fill.
The three-time FIFA player of the year is described as a ‘marketing juggernaut’ and has a massive social media presence with 214.5 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Between June 1, 2015 and June 1, 2016, Ronaldo generated £120 million in advertising with social media posts for brands that sponsor him like Nike, Tag Heuer, and Herbalife.
Ronaldo’s other business dealings include a line of suits, cologne, shirts, suits, underwear and even his own hotel.
Lionel Messi came in second after earning £55.9million
LeBron James is third on £53million
