7th September, 2019
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the highest-paid athletes in world sport – and details of one of his most lucrative endorsement deals have now been revealed.
Football Leaks (via Der Spiegel ) have published information regarding Ronaldo’s latest deal with sportswear giant Nike in their latest book.
Ronaldo was reportedly the subject of a major battle between Nike and rivals Adidas to land his services before he penned a 10-year extension with Nike in 2016.
According to Football Leaks, Ronaldo’s deal is worth a remarkable €162million (£146.8m ), paying him an annual fee of €16.2million (£14.68m).
However, that is just his base rate – and thanks to bonuses, he was paid a huge €20.2m (£18.3m) in 2016 and 2017.
Ronaldo is said to have a €4m bonus clause in the deal, activated whenever he wins a global accolade such as the Ballon d’Or or FIFA Best Player.
As a global ambassador, Ronaldo is believed to hold Nike’s highest-paid contract amongst its list of huge name athletes around the world.
The company were contacted for comment by Der Spiegel but declared: “We don’t discuss our athlete’s contracts in public”, whilst Ronaldo’s representatives also declined to comment.
Ronaldo was still a Real Madrid player at the time he penned the deal, before departing for Juventus in a shock move in 2018.
Ronaldo earns a bonus if he wins a major international award such as the Balon d’Or.
He is believed to have signed a four-year deal worth a reported €120m (£108m) with the Turin-based club, giving him around £30m per year.
That means his annual pay is almost doubled by his Nike deal alone – and that’s before his other multiple endorsements even come into the picture.
Ronaldo will be hoping to come out on top ahead of Lionel Messi and Virgil van Dijk on the three-man shortlist for the FIFA Best Player award when the winner is announced on September 23 in order to secure his bonus clause for this year.