Cristiano Ronaldo is set to expand his impressive business portfolio by tapping into the UK market, as his stance on retiring from football comes to light
Cristiano Ronaldo looks on
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to expand his business portfolio(Image: Yasser Bakhsh, Getty Images)
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Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly planning to extend his brand into the UK. The 41-year-old, currently playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, is believed to be interested in introducing his hotel and bar businesses to Britain.
The Manchester United legend teamed up with Portuguese hotel group Pestana in 2016 to launch a range of CR7-branded hotels and bars. He owns CR7-branded establishments in Madrid, Funchal, Lisbon, Marrakech and New York.
According to The Sun, the partnership, which operates Inverse by Pestana CR7 venues throughout Portugal, has applied to register the trademark in the UK. The report suggests that Ronaldo, who remains immensely popular in Manchester, recognises the strong potential market in the city should he decide to open a bar or hotel there.
Ex-United team-mate Gary Neville already operates Hotel Football, located near Old Trafford. While there's no sign of Ronaldo retiring soon, those close to him reportedly think his increasingly proactive business approach indicates he's preparing for life after football.
Despite already amassing a fortune worth hundreds of millions, he continues to broaden his portfolio across fashion, fitness and hospitality sectors.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which monitors the world's wealthiest individuals, Ronaldo's net worth is estimated at £1.04billion.
His worth takes into account career earnings, investments and endorsements, with Bloomberg estimating that his salary income from 2002 to 2023 surpassed £410 million.
His transfer to Al‐Nassr in 2022 saw him sign a reported annual salary of £177million, and he has since agreed a new contract keeping him at the club until 2027.
He also earns £13.4m annually through his sponsorship deal with Nike. Ronaldo recently went on strike at Al-Nassr.
The 41-year-old sat out matches against Al-Ittihad and Al-Riyadh as a way of expressing his dissatisfaction with Al-Nassr, the Pro League and the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF).
A CR7 hotel
CR7 hotels could start cropping up across the UK
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He has been upset over a lack of transfer activity at the club, as well as the reduced influence of his allies, chief executive Jose Semedo and director of football Simão Coutinho.
However, Ronaldo has since ended his strike action and is expected to play a key part in Al-Nassr's clash with Al Fateh on Saturday evening.
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