Al-Nassr captain and former Man Utd player, Cristiano Ronaldo, has set a new record as the first footballer to be listed as a billionaire according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Bloomberg said the Portugal prodigy’s net worth an estimated $US1.4bn.

The billoanire journey began when the former Man Utd striker joined the Arabian side,  Al-Nassr.

The Portugal captain joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United following a fall-out with then manager Erik-ten Hag and having criticised the club during an interview with Piers Morgan.

The 40-year-old striker’s financial ascent comes after he signed a new contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr in June, reportedly worth more than $400m.

In June, he confirmed an extension of contract with Al-Nassr in a £172m-per-year deal.

In an X post on June 26, he confirmed another stint with Al-Nassr, saying, "A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let's make history together."

The club also confirmed his stay on X in a post which reads, " Cristiano Ronaldo is staying at @AlNassrFC until 2027."

Bloomberg said that Ronaldo earned more than $550m in salary between 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18m annually, and lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than $175m to his fortune.

Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr from Manchester United in 2023 had already made him the highest-paid player in football history, with an annual salary of £177m ($US358m), plus bonuses and a reported 15% share in his Saudi Arabian club.

Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has earned more than $600 million in pre-tax salary during his career.

Ronaldo’s billionaire status places him among a rare group of athletes that includes basketball greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James, golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer.

Ronaldo suggested he is not considering retirement anytime soon.

“I still have a passion for this,” he said at the Portugal Football Globes gala on Tuesday. “My family says it’s time to quit, and they ask me why I want to score 1000 goals if I’ve already scored 900-something. But I don’t think that way inside.

“I’m still producing good things, I’m helping my club and the national team. Why not continue? I am sure that when I finish, I will leave full because I gave everything of myself. I know I don’t have many years left to play, but the few I have left, I have to enjoy them to the fullest.”

Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo's time at the club, CR 7 has added to the club a barrage of goals.

Ronaldo has scored 99 goals in 111 appearances for Al-Nassr,also winning bagged two Golden Boot awards during his time there, including a record-breaking 35-goal season in 2023–24.

Ronaldo scored 35 times in 41 matches across all competitions last term and was the league's top scorer for a second consecutive season.

Having helped Portugal win the Uefa Nations League a little over two weeks ago, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Sporting and Juventus forward will almost certainly now be targeting a sixth World Cup appearance next summer.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but turned them down because hebelieves he would be a champion in Saudi Arabia.

“My goal, it's always to win something important for Al Nassr. And of course I still believe in that. This is why I renewed the two years more because I believe that I will be a champion in Saudi Arabia,” he noted.

He also lauded the Saudi Pro League's over the years saying, “Of course, we are still improving but I believe that at this moment we are in the top five [leagues in the world] already. I still believe that we will continue to improve… I am happy because I know that the league is very competitive” he concluded.

The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.

It remains to be seen who will be leading the first team at Al-Nassr going forward, after former AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli left the club this week.