Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2024, wrapped: everything we learned about football’s first billionaire, from his luxury life with girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez to selling his Trump Tower apartment
In October, soon after moving from Juventus in Italy back to England’s Manchester United, Ronaldo and his girlfriend announced that they are expecting twins
Born in Funchal, Madeira, where his new museum CR7 Museu is located, he owns a flat in New York that he bought for US$18.5 million and is now trying to sell
It’s no surprise that world-renowned, record-breaking footballer Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines in 2021. This year, we saw just exactly how wealthy he is and how he lives his life in luxury, spoiling himself and those around him.
Here are the five biggest Ronaldo headlines to hit STYLE in 2021.
1. Meet Cristiano’s girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo with girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez. Photo: @georginagio/Instagram
In October, Ronaldo and his girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, announced that they are expecting twins. The football star shared the news on Instagram with a photo of himself and Rodriguez holding up a sonogram.
Rodriguez is a 27-year-old Spanish model and dancer, and she clearly makes 36-year-old Ronaldo’s heart spin. But while we are all for the relationship itself, we can’t help but be intrigued by the extravagant ways they express their affection. The pampering, constant shower of expensive gifts and the lavish lifestyle they enjoy together all have us hooked.
We took a closer look at what happens when love meets luxury.
2. How Cristiano became football’s first billionaire
Cristiano Ronaldo posing next to a luxury car. Photo: @cristiano/Instagram
Ronaldo topped Forbes’ “World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players 2021” list, with the Portuguese athlete raking in US$125 million in total earnings over the past 12 months. But making the rich list is nothing new to the star football player – after all, he is the first team sport athlete in the world to make over US$1 billion in career earnings before taxes.
But how does one of football’s hottest players earn the big bucks? Besides his huge salary of many millions of dollars, he also leverages his social media power, ensuring he never has any problem balancing the books.
3. Inside Cristiano’s fabulous life
Cristiano Ronaldo lies back and enjoys his luxurious life. Photo: @cristiano/Instagram
As a football billionaire, it’s safe to say Ronaldo is living his best life, and it’s pretty clear the 36-year-old Portuguese football icon isn’t shy about splashing his cash around, either. From luxury getaways to impressive properties, we looked back at how exactly he spends his millions.
4. Inside Cristiano’s new CR7 Museu
Cristiano Ronaldo displays the trophies he has amassed during his career in his own museum in his hometown of Funchal in Madeira. Photo: @museucr7funchal/Instagram
Of course, Ronaldo didn’t become the world’s first billionaire footballer for nothing: he earns the big bucks for his incredible career goal tally, his ability to perform on the big occasions, and his willingness to work hard to stay in peak physical condition.
Also impressive is the Manchester United forward’s vast trophy collection. All of them, as well as various other interesting trinkets from his career, are on display at his very own museum, beside the harbour in Funchal, Madeira – the town in which he was born and raised.
5. Why Cristiano struggled to sell his Trump Tower apartment
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a hard time trying to sell his Trump Tower flat. Photo: @cristiano/Instagram
This year, Ronaldo was looking to get rid of his flat in Trump Tower in New York City, and was willing to take a massive loss on the sale. The athlete bought the flat before the 2016 US presidential elections, and fans have urged the football superstar to sell the residence for a while, even putting together petitions.
Buying “at the top of the market”, he paid a whopping US$18.5 million, so we took a peek inside the three-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom unit to see what he got for his money.
