In the first part of Morgan's exclusive interview with Ronaldo, Ronaldo talked about the topic of his net worth exceeding US$1 billion.
Morgan: You became a billionaire last week. I'm the one who told you, because I sent you a message saying: "Have you seen this? "
C Ronaldo: No, no. I became a billionaire many years ago.
Morgan: I knew you would say that. You probably already are, right?
C Ronaldo: Yes. At the age of 39, I reached the figure of 1 billion US dollars. To be honest, I am quite proud.
Morgan: How do you know? Who told you? Please.
C Ronaldo: I know how much money I have.
Morgan: Do you really know the exact number?
C Ronaldo: Not 100% accurate. But of course, you have to mind your own business. This is normal. I'm not someone who keeps my eyes on the money, but I have a team around me that helps me do the right things in every area. There was a guy on the finance side who I talked to almost every day, not just about money, but about my property structure, my investments, my opportunities. I have to have control because it's my life and it's my money.
Morgan: That’s when you realize you’re a billionaire. What does that feel like?
C Ronaldo: I know this will happen eventually. So, I'm prepared. It's just a matter of time. So, honestly, I'm super happy. It's like when you win the Ballon d'Or because you achieved your goal. You also set your own goals.
Other people’s goals may be to build a house or buy a car, but reaching that number is my goal, yes.
Honestly. I'm not obsessed with money because I think money can help you a lot. But when you get to a certain point, money no longer matters in my mind. But the more the merrier, because we are human and that’s how humans are. We are never satisfied with what we have.
What I have learned over the years is that finance is very important, money is also very important, but there is something more important. But to answer your question, I'm super happy because it's one of the main goals in my mind. In addition to trophies in football, the Champions League, the Ballon d'Or, all the titles, in business and financially this is my goal. So at 39, I hit that number, and I'm very proud of it, to be honest.
Morgan: Now the whole world knows, Bloomberg did this report, and you were declared the first-ever football billionaire. The first in history. In other sports, only a handful of sports icons have reached this level. Tiger Woods, Federer, and Jordan, but these are only a handful. Cristiano, you are the only one in football, the only one in football. Does it mean a lot to you to be the one and only?
Cristiano Ronaldo: Well, it doesn't surprise me because if you talk about the history of football, they can call me arrogant or whatever, but the numbers don't lie.
This is what I have always said and will continue to say. If you look at so many records in football, I am at the top of the list. So this is just one more record. It actually doesn’t surprise me because I know my potential on and off the pitch. I'm not surprised, I knew I would reach that number for many reasons, but deep down I'm happy, it's one of my goals and my motivation is still...
Morgan: But is money your motivation for playing football?
C Ronaldo: No, but it helps in my opinion.
