He is the most famous man in the world, given the massive crowd who followed him on social media. The most admired athlete, the most stubborn, the richest and most famous worker, whose private life provokes the greatest number of comments – with him, superlatives accumulate to the point of dizzy. But regardless of his physical form and steely will, Cristiano Ronaldo is just a half-god who spends time, as in normal mortals. On February 5th, he will turn 38, in other words of legal age, at least in the eyes of the big clubs that have long sought to recruit him.
In a tussle with Manchester United, his current team, who are on the verge of ousting – were left out of the group against Chelsea on Saturday 22 October – the striker with five Golden Balls is approaching a turning point in his life. Of course he still has to play the next World Cup in Qatar (November 20 – December 18) in the ranks of the Portuguese national team, but after? Behind the rigorous mathematical question hides another subject, intimate and collective. At a time when his international sporting influence is beginning to decline, what is the football star’s relationship with his native Portugal?
This country, Cristiano Ronaldo no longer lives there since he signed his first contract with Manchester, at the age of 18. From club to club, from game to game, and from victory to victory, the person who became The best goalscorer in history in 2022, according to a rating established by FIFA, It expanded its empire to the entire planet. Not only through his exploits on the field, but through a remarkably effective marketing strategy and promotion of his image. “CR7”, the nickname that combines his initials with his jersey number, is not only a great athlete, he is already a multinational.
His brand, being one, has an amazing vision, from Madeira, the island where he was born in 1985, to the ends of the earth. “Cristiano Ronaldo employs a team of professionals to keep his social networks alive, Notes Daniel Saa, Director of the Portuguese Institute of Marketing Management. All athletes in this category do, but none of them are like him. » Under the leadership of Luis Correa, CEO of Polaris Sports, who manages sponsorship contracts and social networks, ‘CR7’ now follows 750 million people, all networks combined.
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