Cristiano Ronaldo, football’s first billionaire, and his fiancée Georgina Rodriguez have reportedly bought luxury villas in Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea development, British media say. The homes are in Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve by Red Sea Global about 26 kilometres off the Saudi coast, reachable only by chartered boat or seaplane, and the couple are said to be among the first buyers there. Each residence in the Ritz-Carlton Reserve collection is priced from about SAR15.5 million (around £3.1 million), with only 19 ultra-private villas offering tailored services in an unspoiled setting.
Ronaldo said that from their first visit he and Rodriguez felt a bond with the island’s natural beauty and saw it as a peaceful retreat, adding that owning a home there lets them enjoy private family time whenever they wish. Off the pitch, reports estimate he earned over $550 million in salary from 2002 to 2023, plus a long-running Nike deal worth nearly $18 million a year and other endorsements with brands such as Armani and Castrol adding more than $175 million. His 2023 move to Saudi side Al-Nassr made him the highest-paid player ever, on about £177 million ($237.5 million) a year, with bonuses and a reported 15% stake in the club, while only a few athletes such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, LeBron James, Tiger Woods, and Roger Federer share his billionaire status. Despite this, Ronaldo has signalled he has no plans to retire soon.
