Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest paid footballer in the world. The Portuguese, who left a few months ago for Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Nassr for the next three seasons, earns around 200 million euros each year. A figure that covers sponsorships, advertising and other variables that are included in the contract. Because in addition to being a goal-scoring machine, Cristiano Ronaldo is also a money-making machine off the pitch. His new bet is paddle tennis.
The athlete has won a tender to build the Paddle City in Oeiras, near Lisbon. It will be the largest padel club, with a total of 17 courts. Through CR7 SA, together with the company Lusofinança, they will invest more than five million euros to carry out this project promoted by the Portuguese Paddle Federation. The complex, whose surface area will exceed 15,000 square meters, should be ready by the first half of 2025. It is expected to host the most important tournaments of one of the most fashionable sports in the world.
In fact, paddle tennis and golf are behind soccer, the sports on which Qatar and Saudi Arabia have set their eyes. In recent months they have created parallel professional circuits, convincing athletes through dizzying economic offers. Cristiano does not want to be left behind and has already taken the first steps so that the best padel is also played in Portugal.
Hotels, gyms, hair or clothing clinics, their businesses.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is one of the most iconic images in sport and his CR7 brand is known around the world. It is the most similar thing we can find to Michaen Jordan, for example. During his career he has been the image of the most important brands, such as Pokerstars, Nike, Herbalife, Banco Espíritu Santo, Armani, Fly Emirates and many more. According to the American publication specialized in great fortunes, Celebrity Net Worth, Cristiano Ronaldo closed the year 2022 with a net worth of more than 500 million euros. Other information suggests that he would be above 1,000 million.
Two years after reaching 40, Cristiano is enjoying his last seasons of football. Meanwhile, he increases his wealth with businesses parallel to sports. The best known is the hotel chain ‘CR7 Lifestyle Hotels’ together with Dionisio Pestana, owner of the hotel group. It has luxury hotels in Madrid (Gran Vía), New York (Times Square), Marrakech, Lisbon and Funchal.
The five-time Champions League winner also acquired 50% of the Insparya clinic in 2019, specializing in hair transplants. “I like to bet on entrepreneurial projects with solid characteristics, to spread the best we have in Portugal around the world. In addition to football, I am passionate about health, technology and research, and they are areas in which I would like to invest “, he commented at the time. Insparya has offices in Madrid, Marbella, Braga, Porto, Lisbon and Vilamoura, where more than 300 people work. The Portuguese invested about 25 million euros and the other 50% of the company belongs to Paulo Ramos, executive president.
Another of the businesses that has promoted the footballer through CR7 is his underwear brand. Although he is the image of Nike, Cristiano has sold millions of underwear around the world with his personal brand. He also has his own cologne brand with several perfumes for men, footwear and sunglasses. Besides,
Paddle tennis is not Cristiano’s only business linked to sports. Because he is the owner of a company that has more than 10 franchised gyms spread between Spain and Portugal. He is the son of the brand CR7 Fitness by Crunch. He himself provides the image of these centers specialized in physical activity, professional sports nutrition and personalized training.
