Cristiano Ronaldo's huge net worth as Jude Bellingham and girlfriend look to surpass it

Cristiano Ronaldo’s staggering wealth, accumulated over his illustrious football career, could be overshadowed by rising star Jude Bellingham, according to a finance expert. Despite Ronaldo’s years of lucrative sponsorship deals and contracts with top-tier clubs, Bellingham is tipped to surpass the Portuguese legend in future earnings.

However, for now, the young English talent remains far behind the football icon, but this could change in due course. Bellingham has repeatedly come to England’s rescue during Euro 2024, notably scoring the team’s first goal of the tournament in a 1-0 triumph over Serbia.

He also saved Gareth Southgate’s side from an early exit in the round of 16 clash against Slovakia. Slovakia took the lead 25 minutes into the game thanks to Ivan Schranz, leaving England struggling to equalise. But Bellingham came through in the 95th minute with a spectacular bicycle kick, keeping England’s tournament hopes alive and showcasing his season-long heroics for Real Madrid.

England eventually won the match in extra time with a header from Harry Kane, followed by victories over Switzerland on penalties and the Netherlands in the semi-finals, setting up a final showdown with Spain on Sunday, reports the Mirror. Despite his impressive career so far, the 21-year-old is still a long way from matching Ronaldo’s achievements both on and off the field.

CR7 made his mark at Sporting CP in 2002, before being signed by Sir Alex Ferguson for Manchester United the following season. He spent six successful years at Old Trafford, winning three Premier Leagues, two League Cups, an FA Cup and a UEFA Champions League trophy before making a lucrative move to Real Madrid in 2009.

A key player for the Galacticos, Ronaldo scored an impressive 311 goals in 292 games over nine years, earning four Ballon d’Ors, two La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues and even a European Championship with Portugal in 2016. His achievements in La Liga would undoubtedly have been even greater if it hadn’t been for his long-time rival Lionel Messi, who was playing for Barcelona at the time.

Ronaldo moved to Juventus in 2018, where he won two Serie A titles, two Supercoppa Italianas and a Coppa Italia, before making a triumphant return to Manchester United. The now 39-year-old Ronaldo proved his mettle with an impressive 19 goals in 40 games, demonstrating he could still compete in the world’s most physically demanding league.

He then left the Red Devils to sign a reported €200million (£168million) per year deal with Al-Nassr in 2023. With such a glittering career nearing its end, Ronaldo’s current net worth is estimated at around £203m ($250m), making him the highest-paid athlete globally.

On the other hand, Bellingham, who moved from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid last year and scored 19 goals in his first season, is still far behind Ronaldo in terms of earnings. His net worth is currently estimated at around £39million ($50million), accumulated through endorsement deals with Lucozade and McDonald’s, as well as his football earnings.

While his wealth may indeed soar in the future, he still has a long way to go to reach Ronaldo’s level of fame and fortune. If Bellingham decides to tie the knot with PrettyLittleThing model Laura Celia Valk, it could further boost his finances.

The 25-year-old has built her own brand with Adidas, Louis Vuitton, and Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS. Laura, a Dutch fashion model, boasts over 500,000 followers on Instagram. Their relationship was first reported in April.

Dr Rob Wilson, a Professor of Applied Sport Finance, spoke to Saxo about the potential for footballer Bellingham and his partner Valk to emulate the success of Taylor Swift and NFL icon Travis Kelce. He remarked: “Bellingham is quite similar to Travis Kelce in that way with Taylor Swift, there is an alignment and exposure.

“From a brand alignment, it would be interesting to see if they ever do any co-activation, where they are both involved in promotion, but there will be a lot of off-field work as well. There will also be a natural increase in the level of exposure to brands like PrettyLittleThing as a result of the indirect association.

“The really smart commercial people will be looking at that and thinking, ‘PrettyLittleThing is a really well thought of brand, as are Real Madrid, there might be a chance of some co-activation’. It could be worth millions for Bellingham and Real Madrid.”

He added: “We talk about Messi and Ronaldo in relatively balanced terms – there is a debate over who is the better player and who has achieved more – I think Bellingham will exceed what Mbappe can do. His age and the fact he has only just got to Real Madrid, is massively stacked in his favour. I think his image and his authenticity make him hugely marketable, whereas Mbappe does not have that. Whether it is because he has played in France or the fact he played in Messi’s shadow, I just don’t think he has the brand activation that Bellingham could have.”