Ronaldo bags 'long-term' Nike deal

The multimillion mega-deals are expected to cement Ronaldo's status as the world's highest-paid sportsman, ahead of great Barcelona rival Lionel Messi.

Cristiano Ronaldo has boosted his mind-boggling earnings with a new deal with Nike on Tuesday.

A day after signing a bumper fresh contract with Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo has boosted his mind-boggling earnings with a new deal with Nike, the American sports giant said on Tuesday.

Together the multimillion mega-deals are expected to cement Ronaldo's status as the world's highest-paid sportsman, ahead of great Barcelona rival Lionel Messi.

According to American magazine Forbes, Ronaldo trumped Messi in 2016 with an income of $88 million (80 million euros, £71 million). There are no concrete figures, but Ronaldo's new five-year contract with Real is expected to net the 31-year-old Portuguese forward in the region of a basic salary of 25 million euros a year.

He could also bag up to 40 million euros a year for the Nike deal, according to Marca .

Marca and AS, the Spanish sports dailies, said the Nike deal is for life, rather like the one between Nike and basketball legend Michael Jordan. "I have a great relationship with this brand, I have great friends here in the company," Ronaldo said in a Nike press release announcing a "new, long-term contract".

"We work as a family too," he added. "This is my brand."

Ronaldo on Monday signalled his intention to keep playing for 10 more years after rounding off a "dream year".

The three-time World Player of the Year has enjoyed his most successful year at a collective level, scoring the winning penalty as Madrid won the Champions League for an 11th time in May before captaining Portugal to their first major tournament win at Euro 2016.