World’s Highest-Paid Athlete Cristiano Ronaldo Launches New Denim Collection

Global soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo has been on quite a roll over the last year-plus. He led Spanish club Real Madrid to the first back-to-back Champions League titles in soccer history. He helped Portugal win its first European Championship last summer. Individual honors included career goal No. 600 and a fourth Player of the Year award.

His spot atop the pyramid of the world’s biggest sport elevated Ronaldo to the highest-paid athlete each of the past two years. His haul this past season was $93 million, including $35 million off the pitch from sponsors like Nike, Herbalife, Tag Heuer and Abbott Labs, as well as his burgeoning CR7 brand of goods which include shoes, underwear, fragrance and a line of hotels.

Ronaldo expands his CR7 empire this week with the launch of his first denim collection for men, CR7 Denim. The partnership with clothing manufacturer Uniti Fashion includes jeans and shorts with jackets and shirts to follow later in the year.

“Denim has always played an important role in my day-to-day wardrobe,” said Ronaldo in an email exchange with Forbes. “When I’m not on the field in my training gear, I find myself naturally grabbing a pair of jeans and I’m out the door. It’s versatile, comfortable, and effortless.”




The brand will launch at CR7.com in the U.S. with retail partners lined up in Europe. Prices start at $79 and run as high as $144 for the “Fashion” tier.

Ronaldo says he has always struggled to find stylish jeans that were comfortable with him constantly on the move. He sees CR7 Denim as the answer to that. “You’ll see elements from my personal style throughout – for example, my favorite color white is used in the signature white rivet that’s on every pair of jeans. This collection feels very personal to me,” says Ronaldo.

Ronaldo uses his vast social media platform to promote his CR7 brand. His 122 million Facebook fans are more than any person on the planet, and he has more 282 million combined followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Ronaldo’s promoted posts on social media produced $936 million in media value in the 12 months ending June 1, according to Hookit, which tracks sponsorship value in social and digital media. The tally is more than seven times any other athlete.

The world’s biggest sports stars are sought after product pitchmen, but taking a piece of the business can be an even more lucrative. LeBron James has prospered with stakes in Beats by Dre and Blaze Pizza, while David Beckham was soccer’s best-paid star during his playing days thanks to a myriad of partnerships. Beckham’s biggest paydays have occurred since he retired thanks to deals where Beckham has a piece of the business, including with Diageo for a single grain Scotch whiskey, Haig Club, and with Hong Kong-based Global Brands Group for Beckham-branded consumer products.

Ronaldo signed a contract extension in late 2016 which ties him to Real Madrid through June 2021. Ronaldo says he has “some good years left” on the pitch, but has plans for CR7 when his playing days are over. He says, “I definitely see myself becoming even more involved in the day to day business of expanding the CR7 brand globally.”

Source:www.forbes.com