This value, estimated by the Portuguese Institute of Marketing Administration (IPAM), comes from revenue (salaries and sponsorships/image rights), from the media (inserts and references to CR7 on television, newspapers, radio and online media), on social networks (followers on social networks and references in search engines), awards (titles and distinctions), social influence (references in books and scientific articles and positions in celebrity rankings) and impact (on the teams where he plays).

IPAM, which has been monitoring and evaluating the evolution of the value of the “Cristiano Ronaldo” brand since 2011, has verified continuous growth, which began at 24.5 million euros in 2011 and has not stopped rising since then, to the value record of €850 million this year, as reported by ECO.

Two factors contributed essentially to this growth, which is related to the “extraordinary increase in all indicators relating to Cristiano Ronaldo’s visibility and performance around the world” and the “explosive increase in the use and impact of social networks throughout society”, explains IPAM.

Comparing with the figures from 2020 — the year in which the last analysis of Ronaldo's brand was carried out and which valued it at 200 million — there is an immediately evident difference that justifies this great growth: Cristiano Ronaldo's salary went from around 40 million euros in Juventus for 200 million in Saudi Arabia.

On the other hand, sponsorship contracts and image rights rose from 28 to 150 million euros, resulting from numerous advertising contracts with different brands from various sectors of activity, such as Nike, Tag Heuer and Louis Vuitton.

But on social media, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to “score goals” (and make money), having even become the most followed figure in the world, with over 1 billion followers. Instagram is the network where the Portuguese has the most fans, with a total of 648 million followers, followed by Facebook (170 million), X (114.5 million) and YouTube (73.5 million).

Overall, according to the IPAM report, since 2020 Cristiano Ronaldo has seen a 308% increase in salaries, 435% in sponsorship revenue and 280% in followers on social media. The number of games increased by 51% and the number of goals increased by 60% in the same period.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is much more than a football player. He is a global brand that reflects excellence, innovation and impact in different areas of public life. His market value is a reflection of its sporting, media and commercial relevance, which transcends generations", says Daniel Sá, executive director of IPAM and responsible for the study.