Cristiano Ronaldo’s new Al Nassr deal is worth a reported $400m. Photo: Reuters/Stringer

Bloomberg predicts Lionel Messi will match Ronaldo’s fortune in the coming years. Photo: Reuters/Sam Navarro

According to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the daily ranking of the world’s richest people has recorded the 40-year-old’s net worth at $1.4bn (£1.04bn) following his signing of a new contract with Al-Nassr in June reportedly worth more than $400m.

Bloomberg also forecasts that Lionel Messi soon could draw level with his rival as the sport’s greatest player thanks to a deal he struck with Inter Miami, that includes him taking a stake in the club when he retires.

According to the financial information and media company, Ronaldo earned more than $550m in salary alone between 2002 and 2023.

This was supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18m annually and other endorsements with brands such as Armani and Castrol, which added more than $175m to his fortune.

Ronaldo’s 2023 transfer to Al-Nassr earned him about $200m yearly in tax-free salary and bonuses, plus perks including a $30m signing bonus and a reported 15 per cent stake in the Saudi Pro League club.

By comparison, Bloomberg’s wealth index recorded Messi’s pre-tax salary over the course of his career at $600m, including $20m in guaranteed annual pay since 2023.

Messi’s guaranteed pay over the last two seasons was only about one tenth of Ronaldo’s income during the same period, although it also cited the 38-year-old’s reported revenue-sharing deal with Apple.

Both players had benefited from significant pay inflation, far exceeding the lifetime earnings of the likes of David Beckham, who it said earned around $100m before retiring in 2013.

Bloomberg said its valuations took into account his career earnings as well as investments and endorsement deals, adjusted for prevailing tax rates and market performance.

Ronaldo’s fortune was distinct among the select group of billionaire athletes in that the vast majority was derived from pay. It compared that to Federer’s wealth, the biggest driver of which it said came from a stake he took in running apparel brand On Holdings AG as part of a sponsorship deal.

Jordan earned less than $100m in career pay, with much of his fortune coming from longtime endorsement deals with Nike and a stake in the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets.