Info Category: Richest Athletes › Soccer Players Net Worth:R$160 Million Date of Birth: Sep 18, 1976 (47 years old) Place 3️⃣ of Birth: Rio de Janeiro Gender: Male Height: 6 ft (1.83 m) Profession: Football player, Actor Nationality: Brazil 💰 Compare 3️⃣ Ronaldo's Net Worth
What is Ronaldo's Net Worth and Salary?
Ronaldo is a retired Brazilian football player who has a net worth 3️⃣ ofR$160 million. Also known as "R9" or "O Fenomeno" (The Phenomenon), Ronaldo made a massive impact (and a massive amount 3️⃣ of money) on the game of football despite a relatively short time in the spotlight. He was a goalscoring machine 3️⃣ who led Brazil to a memorable World Cup title in 2002. He is also credited with reinventing the way strikers 3️⃣ play football. At his peak, Ronaldo was considered the best player in the world. He is currently considered one of 3️⃣ the best players of all time.
He won the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times, and he has 3️⃣ received the Balon d'Or award twice. To this day, he is the youngest ever player to receive the Balon d'Or, 3️⃣ having first won it at the age of 21. He was also the youngest person to ever win the FIFA 3️⃣ World Player of the Year award at age 20. Professional clubs were willing to pay exorbitant sums to have Ronaldo 3️⃣ on their teams, and he twice broke the world record signing fee.
In terms of goal-scoring ability, he is one of 3️⃣ the highest-scoring players of all time. He scored 62 goals for Brazil, and only Pele has scored more for his 3️⃣ country. At age 23, he had scored 200 goals for club and country. However, Ronaldo's career faded abruptly with a 3️⃣ sudden onset of serious injuries. It what seemed like a blink of an eye, Ronaldo disappeared from the game of 3️⃣ football as quickly as he had appeared.
After leaving the game, Ronaldo became closely involved with philanthropic work, becoming a United 3️⃣ Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador. He also served as an ambassador for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In 2024, Ronaldo 3️⃣ purchased a team in the Spanish La Liga called Real Valladolid, and in 2024, a controlling stake in Cruzeiro.
Early Life
Ronaldo 3️⃣ Luiz Nazario de Lima was born on September 18th of 1976 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Raised alongside two siblings, 3️⃣ Ronaldo played soccer in the streets of Rio from a young age. Shortly after his parents divorced when he was 3️⃣ 11, Ronaldo dropped out of school to pursue a career as a professional soccer player. He began his career as 3️⃣ a futsal player (indoor soccer), joining a youth league and quickly becoming the lead scorer in the entire city's league. 3️⃣ In his first season alone, he scored 166 goals. Futsal was an important part of Ronaldo's development, helping him learn 3️⃣ technical skills and close ball control that would become his key strengths in his later playing career. Ronaldo was quickly 3️⃣ signed by sports agents.
Career
Ronaldo made his professional debut for the Brazilian side Cruzeiro in 1993. While still a 16-year-old, he 3️⃣ scored five goals in one match and started to attract international attention. After scoring 44 goals in 47 games during 3️⃣ his first season, Ronaldo joined the Brazilian World Cup squad in 1994, but only as an unused substitute.
After the World 3️⃣ Cup, Ronaldo joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven. After scoring 30 goals in his first season, some were already wondering whether 3️⃣ Ronaldo had what it took to be the best player of all time, despite being just 18. His second season 3️⃣ at PSV was marred by a knee injury. Before the 1996-1997 season, Ronaldo joined Barcelona for a then-world-record fee ofR$19.5 3️⃣ million. During his first season, he scored an unbelievable 47 goals in all competitions and ended 1996 with a FIFA 3️⃣ World Player of the Year Award.
Ronaldo spent just one season at Barcelona before moving to Inter Milan, again breaking the 3️⃣ world record with a signing fee ofR$27 million. Although he had to adapt to the Italian style of play during 3️⃣ the first season, he eventually became a more complete striker during his time at Inter and won his first Ballon 3️⃣ d'Or.
In 1998, Ronaldo entered the FIFA World Cup as a starting striker for Brazil, and many considered him to be 3️⃣ the best player on the planet. He scored continuously throughout the tournament before a convulsive fit threatened to take him 3️⃣ out of the final. He miraculously recovered just hours before kickoff, but he seemed dazed and Brazil lost the final 3️⃣ to France. Later, a neurologist determined that Ronaldo should not have been allowed to play while feeling the aftereffects of 3️⃣ a seizure.
In the years that followed, Ronaldo began to have serious issues with his knees. In 2000, he suffered a 3️⃣ complete rupture of his kneecap tendons. This caused Ronaldo to miss almost three years of professional sport, although he returned 3️⃣ in 2002 to help Brazil win the World Cup. That year, he also signed with Real Madrid for 46 million 3️⃣ Euros. He was one of Real's key players, but Ronaldo suffered from continuous injury and weight issues during his time 3️⃣ in Madrid.
After playing one last time for Brazil in the 2006 World Cup, Ronaldo transferred to A.C. Milan in 2007 3️⃣ for 8.05 million Euros. In 2008, he suffered another serious knee injury and joined the Brazilian club Corinthians shortly thereafter. 3️⃣ In 2011, he officially retired, revealing for the first time that he suffered from hyperthyroidism – which explained his weight 3️⃣ gain issues. In addition, he admitted that his body simply couldn't continue after suffering so many injuries, even though mentally 3️⃣ he wanted to keep going. His entire footballing career lasted 18 years.
Nike Contract
Nike was quick to sign Ronaldo to a 3️⃣ lucrative contract. In 1996, he signed a 10-year contract and lifetime brand endorsement deal with Nike forR$180 million. Shortly after 3️⃣ the contract was signed, Nike designed the now-famous Mercurial R9 soccer boot for him. He wore the boots at the 3️⃣ 1998 FIFA World Cup, and ever since then, they have become some of Nike's most successful boots. In the years 3️⃣ that passed, similar Mercurial boots were designed for players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe. Ronaldo also appeared in a 3️⃣ range of Nike commercials over the years.
Other Brand Endorsements
Outside of his commitment to Nike, Ronaldo has appeared in a range 3️⃣ of other commercials over the years. Some of his most notable appearances were in Snickers and Pirelli commercials, and he 3️⃣ is also a regular feature in EA's "FIFA" video game franchise.
Club Ownership
In 2024, it was announced that Ronaldo had purchased 3️⃣ a controlling stake in the La Liga club Real Valladolid. He paid approximately 30 million Euros for a 51% stake 3️⃣ in the team, making him the majority owner. After the acquisition, Ronaldo announced that he was approaching his new managerial 3️⃣ role with the utmost seriousness, stating that he wanted to build "the best team possible."
In December 2024, he purchased a 3️⃣ controlling stake in Cruzeiro, his boyhood club, for 400 million reais ($70 million at the time).
Personal Life
Ronaldo met Brazilian model 3️⃣ and actress Susana Werner in 1997, and the couple held a longterm relationship and lived together in Milan until 1999. 3️⃣ In December 1999, he married Brazilian footballer Milene Domingues who was pregnant with his first son, and they divorced four 3️⃣ years later. In 2005, Ronaldo became engaged to Brazilian model and MTV VJ Daniela Cicarelli, but the relationship lasted only 3️⃣ three months. In 2008, he got engaged to Maria Beatriz Antony, and they had two daughters together. In December 2010, 3️⃣ a paternity test confirmed that Ronaldo is the father of a boy named Alexander who was born after a brief 3️⃣ relationship with a Brazilian waitress named Michele Umezu. Ronaldo first met Umezu in Tokyo in 2002. After confirmation of a 3️⃣ fourth child, Ronaldo had a vasectomy.
