������Ƶ

RIYADH: Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo has become football’s first billionaire player, according to figures released Wednesday in the .

The 40-year-old Al-Nassr striker has been added to Bloomberg’s list of the world’s richest people, with an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion.

The valuation includes his career earnings, endorsements, and investments.

Bloomberg reported that Ronaldo earned more than $550 million in salary between 2002 and 2023, alongside lucrative sponsorships, including his decade-long deal with Nike, worth almost $18 million annually.

Ronaldo joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in 2022, reportedly becoming the highest-paid footballer in history. His contract, originally set to expire in June 2025, was recently extended by two years in a deal reportedly worth more than $400 million, which will keep him at the Riyadh club beyond his 42nd birthday.

Bloomberg compared Ronaldo’s earnings to those of his long-time rival Lionel Messi, noting that the Argentina and Inter Miami forward has earned over $600 million in pre-tax salary during his career.

Messi, who has been on a guaranteed annual pay of $20 million since joining Inter Miami in 2023, roughly 10 percent of Ronaldo’s income during the same period, is set to receive a stake in the MLS club upon retirement.

MILAN: Footballers should respect the money they make and their employers, Serie A Chief Executive Luigi De Siervo said on Wednesday in response to AC Milan midfielder Adrien Rabiot’s concerns over his club’s planned league match in Australia.
Italy’s Serie A have turned the unavailability of the San Siro in February due to the Winter Olympics into an opportunity for Italian football to increase international visibility, and Milan’s fixture with Como will be played in Perth.
Rabiot, currently on international duty with France, called the decision crazy when he spoke to French newspaper Le Figaro on Tuesday.
“I was surprised when I learned that AC Milan will be playing a Serie A match against Como ... in Australia,” Rabiot said.
“It’s completely crazy. But these are financial agreements to give visibility to the league, things that are beyond us.
“There’s a lot of talk about schedules and player health, but this all seems truly absurd. It’s crazy to travel so many miles for a match between two Italian teams in Australia. We have to adapt, as always.”
De Siervo, attending a Serie A assembly meeting in Rome, was asked about Rabiot’s remarks that these decisions are taken without the input of players.
“He’s right, but Rabiot forgets, like all footballers who earn millions of euros, that they are paid to carry out an activity, to play football,” De Siervo told reporters.
“He should have respect for the money he earns, complying with the wishes of his employer, Milan, who accepted and pushed for this match to be played abroad.”
UEFA, while opposed to domestic league matches being played abroad, reluctantly approved the fixture on Monday (along with a LaLiga game in Miami), saying that FIFA’s regulatory framework, still under review, lacks sufficient clarity and detail.
De Siervo, however, believes football needs to follow the example of other sports if the game is to continue to grow.
“Last year’s Tour de France started from Florence, the Giro d’Italia often begins abroad. This is done to strengthen the product, not weaken it,” he said of the cycling events.
“The NFL and NBA have been playing away from the US for years, with the concept of being a global product.
“UEFA said it was against it, but accepted the exceptional nature of this event. We believe, however, that this can be a model that the world of football, with precise rules, must follow if it is not to lose out to other sports.”