Cristiano Ronaldo: Football's first billionaire player
6/15/202644 min
Cristiano Ronaldo grew up in poverty on the remote island of Madeira, but became football's first billionaire player, and one of the most recognisable people on the planet. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng trace Ronaldo's rise from a homesick kid playing for the academy at Sporting CP, to global superstardom at Manchester United and Real Madrid, where relentless training and record-breaking performances turned him into a sporting and commercial machine.
Zing and Simon explore the business of modern football: from mega transfers and billion-dollar brand deals, to tax battles and legal disputes. Ronaldo leveraged social media fame to build his CR7 empire, so is he the ultimate self-made success story, a divisive global brand, or simply the most effective monetiser of talent in sporting history?
Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast that explores the lives of the super-rich and famous, tracking their wealth, philanthropy, business ethics, and success. There are leaders who made their money in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and in high street fashion. From iconic celebrities and CEOs to titans of technology, the podcast unravels tales of fortune, power, economics, ambition and moral responsibility. Simon and Zing put their subjects to the test with a playful, totally unscientific scorecard — then hand the verdict over to you: are they good, bad, or simply billionaires? Here's how to contact the team: email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.com or send a text or WhatsApp to +1 (917) 686-1176. Find out more about the show and read our privacy notice at www.bbcworldservice.com/goodbadbillionaire
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSteve Crossman0:00
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. [instrumental music] The twenty twenty-three Ballon d'Or France footballer is Lionel Messi. The winner is Cristiano Ronaldo. This is the story of the greatest rivalry in the history of sport, a rivalry that split football into two fates for a generation.
Zing Tsjeng· Host0:23
There could be no, "Oh, Messi and Ronaldo are both great players." There had to be one that was better. They one hundred million percent pushed each other to the next level. You know, we were the lucky ones who got to see it.
Steve Crossman0:33
I'm Steve Crossman. This is Sporting Giants: Messi v Ronaldo. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Simon Jack· Host0:40
[instrumental music] It's two thousand and nine, a cold January morning. A twenty-three-year-old grips the wheel of a two-day-old, three-hundred-thousand-dollar Ferrari. Overhead airplanes are coming in to land at Manchester Airport.
Zing Tsjeng· Host0:59
He zooms down into a tunnel, and then he smashes into the wall. The front of his sports car crumples, and the windscreen smashes.
Simon Jack· Host1:08
He gets out of the car, his tall body ripped with muscles. The car is totaled, but he's okay, with barely a hair out of place on his perfectly coiffed head.
Zing Tsjeng· Host1:17
He jumps into a Bentley that was following right behind him. There's no time to lose. He has to be on the pitch within the hour.
Simon Jack· Host1:24
Because this footballer never misses training, and it's his dedication, obsession, some would say,