Cristiano Ronaldo is a Juventus man now. The €100 million ($117 million) deal is confirmed. By Juventus. By Real Madrid. And by Ronaldo himself, too.
In a sport meant for young legs, the $117 million exchange bargain is a big deal not just for the man who will be 34 in seven months’ time, but also for the industry called professional football. The money it is said is not the sole criteria for Ronaldo’s move to Juventus but it has been a factor in his consideration to leave Real Madrid. The club reportedly had failed to fulfil their commitment to make the iconic striker the highest paid footballer in the world.
Now when a new deal is done, bargain though it is, still does not make one of the most successful footballers of his era the most valuable club footballer ever. The $117 million transfer does not even place him among the top five most valued players. Among highest salaried footballers, Ronaldo though just managed to break into the top five list for his € 30 million ($35.7 million) pay cheque from Juventus.
On football’s most valued player’s list, Ronaldo will now be ahead of Lionel Messi, but still behind Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappe, Phillipe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Paul Pogba.
NEYMAR NO. 1
1) Neymar – In 2017 the French Club Paris St Germain had triggered the release clause of the Brazilian superstar when he was playing for Barcelona. The release clause was set at €222 million ($260 million). That is the highest transfer deal in professional club ever and seems beyond breach for al long time.
2) Kylian Mbappe – The youngster helped AS Monaco win the 2016-17 Ligue 1 title, and that is when he caught the attention of everyone. PSG initially brought him on loan but retaining him for a signing of €165 million ($193.5 million).
3) Phillipe Coutinho – The Brazilian midfielder made the transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona in the mid-transfer window of 2017. The deal was inked at €135million ($158 million).
4) Ousmane Dembele – The French winger’s great season at Borussia Dortmund brought him in the limelight. Barcelona signed him for €105 million ($123 million) in 2017.
5) Paul Pogba – In 2015, Manchester United signed the French midfielder for €105 million ($123 million). The deal was not only the most notable deal of that transfer window- it also broke the world transfer record, till that date.
Ronaldo stays in the six place €5 million ($6 million) shy of Pogba, but the monetary considerations are no scale to value the skills of the 33-year-old, who has subjected Juventus to global headlines for over a week.
MESSI PAID THE MOST
1) Lionel Messi – With the new Barcelona contract, that Messi signed in 2017, the Argentine star striker has become the highest paid footballer in the world. The contract keeps Messi at his childhood club until the year 2021, while giving him £ 40.5 million ($ 53.5 million) a year.
2) Carlos Tevez – Another Argentinian who has lived the best part of his career at top Europe Clubs like Manchester United, comes in second behind Messi. The striker is currently playing for the Shanghai Shenhua (China) and is earning £ 33.5 million ($44.3 million). The deal is set to expire this season. The striker was not a part of the Argentina World Cup 2018 squad.
3) Neymar – The deal which made the whole footballing world realize the financial strength of the modern-day football icons for Neymar’s transfer from Barcelona to PSG, is earning the Brazilian winger £ 31.7 million ($41.9 million) in annual salaries. The winger is on duty for Brazil in the where he has scored 2 goals and created one. His team takes on Belgium in the second quarter-final today (Friday).
4) Cristiano Ronaldo – The reported transfer to the Serie A club Juventus would put Ronaldo amongst the top five highest salaried footballers. Although it will be fairly short of what Lionel Messi earns, Ronaldo would reportedly be earning €30 million ($ 35.7 million) a year. The transfer deal to bring Ronaldo to Juventus from Real Madrid is reportedly negotiated for €100 million ($116 million).
- Alexis Sanchez – A move which saw players being swapped between Arsenal and Manchester United in the winter transfer window of 2017 ended up giving Alexis £ 23.4 million ($30.9 million) a year. The Chilean, on the other hand, could not make it to Russia as they faltered at the last hurdle of the qualifying stage.
As they say, numbers do lie! Deals standing alone might not define Ronaldo’s worth in money. However, the cost-to-club factor will still make the Ronaldo acquisition second-biggest transfer deal in history. Transfer fee, agent commissions, players salary put together will make it a $ 350 million deal, which is only surpassed by PSG’s record commitment for Neymar Jr.
Again, the number camouflage many a facts. This highest deal of Ronaldo’s career may still cost him several million euros. With Juventus, Ronaldo might not get as much on field presence as he would get for Real Madrid and that may lead to some deduction in his endorsement revenues as “visibility” remains one of the prime clauses of sporting icons endorsement deals.
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