Cristiano Ronaldo has yet to play a game for Juventus, but his signing is already showing how admired he is worldwide.
Juventus collected $60 million in jerseys sold with the name Ronaldo on it just 24 hours after the signing was announced. On their YouTube channel, Juventus had 18.3 million views from January to June, but in July alone (after Ronaldo joined) had 36 million. Their stock price increased 32% between July 2nd and 19th.
The numbers speak for themselves. You can see people either watch him because they love him or are hoping for his failure. The one thing that is undeniable is his marketability and what he brings to whichever team he plays for.
The King of Social Media
ESPN has signed a multi year deal to show Italian Serie A league games. Similarly, Facebook announced that his first game will be streamed live. These announcements prove the inarguable point: everyone wants to be part of the Ronaldo world. At age 33, some have mentioned that he is on his final turn. But as we’ve seen here in the Boston market with Tom Brady, if you take care of yourself physically and mentally, the opportunity is there to play longer than ever expected.
His first game is going to be August 12th and the ratings are sure to be astronomical. He also has his own clothing line and cologne, which are sure to help in the style capital of Europe. Ronaldo has already opened a CR7 Museum in his homeland of Madeira, Portugal. New York City is also scheduled to have his CR7/Pestana hotel opening in the future. This would add to the two he has already. He has been popular off the field as much as he has been on it. If the first month is any sign, Juventus will be rewarded in making his transfer the sixth highest in futebol history.
His performances in England and then in Spain were unmatched. If he is able to replicate those statistics and bring a Champions League trophy to Juventus, which would be his sixth, We could only imagine Christiano Ronaldo net worth being he could be the greatest footballer of all time.
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