La Liga - Ronaldo set for billionaire status

Eurosport - Mon, 19 Oct 11:08:00 2009

Real Madrid midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo is set to become football's first billionaire, earning an incredible £16,000 a minute.

2009-10 Champions League Real Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo (PA Photos) - 0

The former Manchester United ace is to be offered a staggering £1.5 million a game to take part in a series of friendlies in the Middle East, according to a report in the Daily Star.

That would see the current world footballer of the year take over from David Beckham as the planet's richest player and send him on his way to becoming the game's first billionaire.

Real are considering a tour of the Middle East with oil barons are prepared to shell out megabucks to lure the Spanish club - and main attraction Ronaldo - to Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Real will be offered £3m per game for the tour during Spain's annual winter break, with that amount to be split 50-50 with Ronaldo to ensure the Portuguese is included in the trip.

A source told the Daily Star: "Real Madrid are the team of the moment and Ronaldo is the player everyone wants to see.

"He is the key to the deal. These wealthy businessmen are willing to break the bank to get him to play at their local stadium. Money really isn't an obstacle for these people.

"Real can virtually name their price if they include Ronaldo in the squad."

Ronaldo, bought by Real for £80m in the summer, already earns £12m a year at the Bernabeu, while pocketing a small fortune from a number of endorsement deals and his three clothing boutiques.

Eurosport

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  1. Comment 486
    A billion is 1000 million it has been­ accepted all over the world... there was two different­ interpretations 'short scale' and 'long­ scale'. Originally they both come from the French,­ the Yanks adopted the short scale and the POMS adopted­ the long scale, but in 1974 the UK government abandoned­ the long scale. Therefore 1000 million is a billion in­ everyone’s language.

    From boz8mpna, on Thu 22 Oct 4:12AM

  2. this is nonsense. i cant believe it. i hav spent 22­ years strugling to get a good job of archtecture am­ paid quarter of his minute payment & here is him­ who doesnt even know wat a protractor is to be a­ billionare. real unfairness of life

    From Lucy, on Wed 21 Oct 7:02PM

  3. this boy is just a pumkin.. hes no tiger woods. he­ breaks his leg.. the so called
    billions disappear..­ what f**kn @#$% is this.

    BEL pa zed

    From Brian, on Wed 21 Oct 3:24PM

  4. this boy is just a pumkin.. hes no tiger woods. he­ breaks his leg.. the so called
    billions disappear..­ what f**kn @#$% is this.

    BEL pa zed

    From Brian, on Wed 21 Oct 3:21PM

  5. this boy is just a pumkin.. hes no tiger woods. he­ breaks his leg.. the so called
    billions disappear..­ what f**kn @#$% is this.

    BEL pa zed

    From Brian, on Wed 21 Oct 3:21PM

  6. i have an idea to get electricity with the help of sea­ water to save the world and can`t geb backing and he­ get`s all this money sad

    From bill w, on Wed 21 Oct 3:18PM

  7. RONALDO IS A GREAT PLAYER HE IS WORT THE BILLIONS

    From owoicho E, on Wed 21 Oct 8:35AM

  8. He is good but don't 4get fergie groomd him

    From drechidi, on Wed 21 Oct 7:23AM

  9. ALL YOU ENGLISH HATERS ...LEAVE RONALDO ALONE..WHEN HE­ WAS WITH MANYOO,U GUYS ALL HATED HIM,HE WAS BOOED AT­ EVERY GROUND,KICKED AT BUT HE EMERGED­ VICTORIOUS,WINNING ALL THE INDIVIDUAL AWARDS...MOST OF­ YOU CLAIM HE'S OVERRATED BUT I DON'T THINK­ ANYBODY WILL PAY $1.5 MILLION FOR ROONEY TO PLAY IN­ THE MIDDLE EAST OR ANYOTHER ENGLISH PLAYER FOR THAT­ MATTER....U GUYS ARE XENOPHOBIC HATERS...NOW U ALL CARE­ ABOUT POOR CHILDREN IN THE WORLD AND HATING ON THE­ MIDDLE EAST....GET OFF YOUR MAMA'S BASEMENT,PLAY­ SOME FOOTBALL...LETS SEE HOW GOOD U ARE...BIGOTS...BNP­ LOVERS

    From David, on Wed 21 Oct 12:56AM

  10. yes hes gifted. yes hes an amazing player. but there­ are people out there who have not had a chance to do­ anything with their life and have no money. i think­ this is an obscene amount of money and it is quite­ disgusting that he could be earning this much for­ kicking a ball around a field while people make clothes­ all day and earn a penny for it.

    From Nikhil S, on Tue 20 Oct 9:24PM

  11. Ronaldo you've had since 3:18 am to by around of­ beers,tight f,cker..

    From walt jabasco, on Tue 20 Oct 6:49PM

  12. 491 babybesma
    I tried to respond to you with a proper­ message, but it was always rejected as invalid! Your­ point was very good in any case, and well reserached!­ Anyway, for us Brits a 1000 M is simply 1000 M, but­ every day we are becoming more yankeefied! Please­ don't take me the wrong way, I love the yanks! If­ it wasn't for the yanks, we would never have seen­ the Rocky films!!

    From Tom, on Tue 20 Oct 5:21PM

  13. To 487 Tom,

    Although I agree that "billion"­ is a million million to the Brits, Germans, etc, it was­ the French that called a billion 1000 million and­ picked up by us "Yanks". However the term­ Billionaire is an American invention. Coined for John­ D. Rockefeller. A billionaire is one who has 1000­ million $s. BTW what is a 1000 million to you?

    From basybesma, on Tue 20 Oct 4:50PM

  14. Comment 486 is a genius of mathematics who thinks like­ me. Name figures and I'ld be sure to break it down­ before the word "go". The billionaire status­ is impossible. Ronaldo is a millionaire no doubt and he­ will die a millionaire. He is also a good player and­ would earn more million. I think the media should use­ the right adjective for the right occassion.

    From koonlay, on Tue 20 Oct 4:37PM

  15. No matter what we all say, we all righ. But the fact is­ there £16,000 a minute!!!!!

    Crazy deal? Stupid word­ going crazier? Football out of real sens? We will be­ talking about for ages....That also is part of the­ entertainment.

    All we need is to remember that we all­ living under the same sky but at different level.

    From Exodus, on Tue 20 Oct 4:35PM

  16. if you want to wipe your a** on your rivals google­ footballtoiletpaper, you can get Celtic, Rangers, Man­ U, Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs, Sunderland, Newcastle,­ Birmingham and Villa toilet paper

    From footballtoiletpaper, on Tue 20 Oct 4:00PM

  17. I agree! Billionaire status is pretty much impossible!­ Let's not forget that one billion is in fact one­ million million, except for the yanks, for whom it is a­ poultry 1000 M. As this is a site for European fans and­ not the "soccer" hating yanks, let's keep­ things in perspective!

    From Tom, on Tue 20 Oct 2:49PM

  18. I'm sorry but these headlines just get more and­ more ridicculous, "Billionaire", does the­ person writing this actually know how big that number­ is?
    At £12m a year Ronaldo would need to work for 83­ years to eanr a billion, even with his other­ sponsorships and endorsments he will struggle to get­ anywhere near that figure. He has what, 10 years­ maximum of a top flight career, maaximum as in reality­ he will probably drop from the top before then. But­ assuming 10 years he needs to be earning £100m a year,­ not £12m.

    Cannot see the 50/50 split going down with­ the others in the Real squad though, can you?

    From soltempest, on Tue 20 Oct 2:06PM

  19. im not surprise at all....
    he is the greatest and have­ a popularity than that MESSY MESSI....!!!

    From MANU, on Tue 20 Oct 12:42PM

  20. Hehe, i guess this is what the Madrid mafias had in­ mind when they paid that sum for him, he 'll just­ have to play by the rules.............nice one Ron,­ not that you are the best footballer, you simply a­ money making machine...just like Beckham........well,­ very interesting b'cos i have seen talents far­ greater than his. we just live to see...........dont we

    From victorcud, on Tue 20 Oct 12:30PM
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