Since 2003, when the coach of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, convinced the management of one of the most trophy-winning clubs in the world, to bring the then-young 18-year-old football star Cristiano Ronaldo from Portuguese Sporting, this footballer has been breaking records both on the field and in finances.
At the current European Football Championship in Germany, unlike the World Cup where the coach Fernando Santos, to the surprise of the sports world, left him on the bench in the round of 16, Ronaldo became the only footballer to have appeared in six European Championships, thanks to the match against the Czech Republic.
In addition to setting his sports records, Ronaldo leads in sports earnings and tops the list of the highest-paid footballers we have the opportunity to watch at EURO 2024.
The figure of 19 million euros, which Manchester United paid for the 18-year-old Ronaldo, practically a boy in football, was a record for the club at the time. However, today it is a mere fraction compared to the amounts Ronaldo earns.
Cristiano, who plays in Saudi Arabia, will earn 200 million euros as part of his two-and-a-half-year contract with Al Nassr.
The second highest-paid footballer at the EURO is the French star Kylian Mbappe, followed by Belgian Kevin De Bruyne in third, England’s Harry Kane in fourth, and Polish Robert Lewandowski in fifth.
Top five highest-paid footballers at EURO 2024 (earnings in dollars):
Cristiano Ronaldo; Earnings: 260 million dollars;National Team: Portugal
Kylian Mbappé; Earnings: 110 million dollars; National Team: France
Kevin De Bruyne; Earnings: 39 million dollars; National Team: Belgium
Harry Kane; Earnings: 36 million dollars; National Team: England
Robert Lewandowski; Earnings: 34 million dollars; National Team: Poland
Source: Forbes