Why Cristiano Ronaldo donates millions from his net worth to causes

The legend from Portugal reportedly earns more than $150 million every year in salary and brand endorsements. The current net worth of Cristiano Ronaldo is $500 million. Do you know he’s involved in various charitable activities and donates millions every year to causes around the world? 

The phenomenonal Portuguese

At 36 years of age, the iconic legend still runs around and plays like he’s in his late twenties. The sporting world is in awe of his physical state and prowess at an age when most others would have already retired or would be in the process of retiring. 

There is no doubt that Cristiano‘s footballing achievements have brought him great wealth along with his trophies and accolades. He earned a reported net wage of GBP 500,000 ($671,572) per week while at Juventus.

And even though he has taken a pay cut to join Manchester United, he is still the highest earner in the English Premier League, reportedly taking home GBP 385,000 ($517,110) per week. And this is besides his brand endorsements! 

Cristiano Ronaldo and his net worth 

The Portuguese maestro was number 3 on the Forbes list of athletes who earned the most in 2021. With combined earnings of $170 million in 2021 alone, it is no surprise that Cristiano’s overall net worth is about $500 million. In 2020, he raked in $50 million through brand endorsements and around $70 million in salary, totaling $120 million for the year. 

He also signed a lifetime deal in 2016 with Nike that gets him $1 billion. This included a $100 million initial bonus. Cristiano is well on his way to earning $1 billion in career earnings with his yearly endorsements netting him around $150 million usually. 

A philanthropist at heart 

Not only does Cristiano earn a lot, but he also donates a lot of money as well. Coming from humble roots himself, he looks to give back to the community that has given him so much. 

In 2012, Cristiano put up his Golden Boot award for auction. It went for 1.5 million euros and he donated the entire amount to charity, helping build schools in Gaza. He remains the only footballer to ever auction off his Golden Boot award, an award given to the top goalscorer in European football every year. 

In 2015, he donated more than $5 million in aid to relief activities in Nepal after an earthquake killed nearly 8,000 people. That year, Cristiano was named as the most charitable sportsperson in the world. The very next year, he gave away his entire bonus from winning the Champions League to charity. 

Giving from his earnings

In 2017, he auctioned off the award for being the best men’s footballer in the world, just like he did in 2012. All the funds from this auction went to the Make-A-Wish foundation. 

More recently in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, he voluntarily accepted a salary cut from March to June to ease the burdens of the club. He even recommended his teammates donate half of their qualification bonuses from the Euro Championships to help aid Covid-19 relief efforts.

In addition to this, he donated about 1 million euros to various hospitals in Portugal to help them provide ventilators, beds and other related equipment. 

An ambassador for charities

Cristiano is an ambassador for charities such as Save the Children, World Vision, and UNICEF and regularly takes part in fund-raising drives on their behalf. In 2014, he distributed his bonuses from the Champion’s League title win to these three charities. 

Apart from this, there are various other donations that Cristiano has made over the years to multiple charitable causes and continues to do so. 

What drives Cristiano to donate so much?

Cristiano Ronaldo came from very humble beginnings. His father was a gardener. He also worked as the equipment manager for a local football squad on a part-time basis. His mom was a cook. Growing up, he and his siblings shared a single room. 

Standing out from the rest of his family with his noticeable talent in football, Cristiano had a trial with the Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon in 2012. The trial was successful and the club signed him on. At 17, he made his debut for the club. In 2003, he was part of the Sporting Lisbon team that beat Manchester United.

Giving back to the community

Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United back then, and the players were very impressed with Cristiano’s performance against them. The very next season, Cristiano signed for Manchester United. The rest as we all know it is history. 

Coming from a humble background, Cristiano knows what it feels like to grow up with less. That’s what probably makes him the generous philanthropist he is today. All his footballing prowess along with his nature of giving to those in need is what makes him the enigmatic figure he is today. No wonder Cristiano Ronaldo is using his net worth to help people.

Meanwhile, here’s how Lionel Messi and his net worth are on top of the charity leaderboard. For more net worth stories on celebrities doing their bit for the community, check out how Kanye West, Kylie Jenner and Taylor Swift are using their money for good.