Cristiano Ronaldo was all smiles at his official unveiling by his new club Al Nassr last week. The 37-year-old has bagged the most expensive contract in the history of any sport at the Saudi club, after joining them on a free transfer from Manchester United. The mercurial forward has signed all the documents for a lucrative deal with Al Nassr which runs until the summer of 2025.
The Portuguese however had to bring an end to his European journey where he won it all. But he seemed upbeat about his new chapter, revealing he was “excited to experience a new football league in a different country” and claimed the club’s “very inspiring” vision as the reason behind his move. With Cristiano Ronaldo now set to become the best paid athlete in the history on any sport, here’s the breakdown of how much will he earn and from where the Saudi club will raise the funds.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s colossal wages at Al Nassr
According to AFP, Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Al Nassr which will see him pocket a stunning pay cheque of £177m per year [$215m]. As a result, the total package amounts up to a staggering £442.5m [$537.2m] until the summer of 2025, when the forward’s deal expires. Although Ronaldo will earn £177m per-year, only £62m [$75m] of it makes up his salary, with the rest of £115m [$139.6] coming through the image rights and commercial deals, according to CBS Sports.
Furthermore, AFP claim that Ronaldo has also agreed to become Saudi Arabia’s ambassador for their bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, once his playing time is up in the middle-east nation. Having agreed to that, the Portugal captain will also get paid another £177m for his role in promoting the country’s bid. It need not be said in any different manner that the whole package will make Ronaldo the highest earner of all time.
How do Al Nassr plan to make Ronaldo the highest earner ever
For a long time now, the resources of the Saudi funds have been placed under suspicion dating back to the take over of Premier League’s fallen giants, who are now resurrecting under their new owners, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle United. It was the costliest takeover of any club as the Saudi PIF paid a staggering £300 million [$364m] for the Magpies’ acquisition. However, the Premier League did conduct a thorough investigation before green lighting the take over.
As a result, dark clouds are hovering above Al Nassr’s audacious move to pay Ronaldo a whopping £442.5m in wages, as the question remains, how will the Saudi outfit fund it? According to CBS Sports’ Ben Jacobs, Al Nassr will finance the deal “through a variety of partners”. The club “will only contribute minority funds” and is highly likely to cover about half of the total salary of the player.
Furthermore, Mohamed Al-Khereiji, who attempted to take over Chelsea with his Saudi Media Group, was “key” to the Ronaldo-deal, along with government backing. In addition, the contract grants Ronaldo “great control on the football, commercial, and ambassadorial side,” which gives the new signing the ability to influence future transfers.
Will Ronaldo surpass Lionel Messi on income charts?
The straightforward answer to the question whether Ronaldo leaves behind arch rival Leo Messi on the income charts is yes. The former Real Madrid forward is already set to become the highest earning athlete of all time, which naturally puts him ahead of the PSG superstar on income list. Messi pockets an annual income of £61.8m [$75m] at PSG, of which £33m [$44m] makes his salary, as reported by L’Equipe.
Meanwhile, as Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a brand new deal with Al Nassr, Messi’s current contract expires with the Parisians at the end of the season. However, PSG have confirmed that they are in talks to extend the 35-year-old’s stay at the club, who recently conquered the world by leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar last month, a bragging right he will always have over his Portuguese counterpart.