Cristiano Ronaldo bags ‘long-term’ deal with Nike

The deal is expected to cement Portuguese star's status as world's highest-paid sportsman, ahead of Lionel Messi

MADRID: A day after signing a bumper fresh contract with Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo has boosted his mind-boggling earnings with a new deal with Nike, the American sports giant said on Tuesday.

Together, the multi-million mega-deals are expected to cement Ronaldo's status as the world's highest-paid sportsman, ahead of great Barcelona rival Lionel Messi.

According to American magazine Forbes, Ronaldo trumped Messi in 2016 with an income of $88 million (80 million euros, £71 million).

There are no concrete figures, but Ronaldo's new five-year contract with Real is expected to net the 31-year-old Portuguese forward in the region of a basic salary of 25 million euros a year. He could also bag up to 40 million euros a year for the Nike deal, according to Marca.



Marca and AS, the Spanish sports dailies, said the Nike deal is for life, rather like the one between Nike and basketball legend Michael Jordan.

"I have a great relationship with this brand, I have great friends here in the company," said Ronaldo said in a press release announcing a "new, long-term contract". "We work as a family too. This is my brand."

Ronaldo on Monday signalled his intention to keep playing for 10 more years after rounding off a "dream year".



The three-time World Player of the Year has enjoyed his most successful year at a collective level, scoring the winning penalty as Madrid won the Champions League for an 11th time in May before captaining Portugal to their first major tournament win at Euro 2016.