Even people who are not into football know about Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese football player is considered the best in the world. He has countless brand deals and even has an airport named after him. 

His net worth is around 423 million pounds – an amount that most people won’t see unless they bet on football online! But why is Ronaldo paid so much? Read on to see what it takes for a football player’s paycheck to reach champion status. 

The Baseline 

Before we break down Ronaldo’s paycheck, we need to set up our baseline of how much football players usually get paid. Many factors can affect a football player’s earnings. The first is location. Soccer players in the US do not make anywhere near as much as football players in Europe! 

The second major factor is what league someone plays in. Different leagues in Europe pay differently with Premier League paying the most. The average salary of a Premier League football player, as per SoccerBlade.com, is around 3.9 million USD (3.24 million GBP) per year. To bring things back to Ronaldo specifically, the world’s best football player makes £200,000 per week. This may make transferring him difficult.  

And before you start thinking that football players have it easy compared to desk workers, consider the following: one wrong injury and their time on the pitch is over. They usually retire in their 30s. The job of a professional football player is very high risk and high reward.   

What Else Affects Earnings? 

There was one topic we avoided talking about above: sponsorships. Sponsorships can bolster a footballer’s salary far beyond the average, even if they’re in the highest-paying league. 

Let’s look at Ronaldo’s lifetime deal with Nike as an example. According to the Sun, the arrangement adds another £147 million a year to Ronaldo’s already impressive paycheck.

In exchange for wearing a Nike kit (especially shoes) and doing a promotional bit every so often, Nike pays Ronaldo millions of pounds. In return, the football player makes Nike astronomical amounts because of how recognizable he is

. 

These sponsorships start young, sometimes as soon as athletes are scouted. Brands like Adidas and Nike have become experts at spotting young talent and getting them in the right gear. Imagine being a child training for football, then being offered a million-pound deal! 

It All Adds Up 

Let’s apply everything we just talked about to Ronaldo. Ronaldo has the distinct advantage of playing football in Europe as opposed to any other part of the world. He also got on a Premier League team—the best-paying league in all of football. Simply being in the Premier League means Ronaldo gets paid more than most other football players. 

But all of those factors pale in comparison to the sponsorships Ronaldo has under his belt. He has gambling websites funding him. Herbalife backs him up. His deal with Nike will hold even after he retires.

He’s not just the best football player in the world; he’s one of the most marketable people on Earth. Even though the money Ronaldo gets from Manchester United is substantial, his 31 sponsorships overtake that amount by leaps and bounds. 

Conclusion 

There is more to Ronaldo’s handsome paycheck than meets the eye. He plays in the highest-paying league in all of Europe. Big companies like Nike and Herbalife give him more money on top of that because of how recognizable he is.

Given that he is 37, which is slightly older than when most football players leave the pitch, he may need to quit the sport sooner than most would like. However, his sponsors will continue to pay him even after retirement. For now, he’s rolling in pounds that most of us can only dream of.