Ronaldo on course to $1 billion in career earnings

Lisbon : Cristiano Ronaldo is en route to becoming first football player and third sportsman overall to cross $1 billion in career earnings. This is despite the fact that Ronaldo has reportedly agreed to a wage cut of nearly 4 million Euros with his club Juventus so as to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Forbes, the cut hardly puts a dent on the Portuguese captain's annual earnings and he had earned a staggering $109 million last year. A further 30 percent wage cut is on the cards with the Serie A frozen due to the pandemic but Ronaldo could still earn an estimated $46 million annual paycheck.

The earnings he receives from his sponsorship deals and his CR7 underwear line could help take his earnings this year close to the $100 million mark again. This would help take him past the $1 billion in total earnings over an 18-year career. Ronaldo made his professional debut in 2002.

The 35-year-old is currently in his hometown of Madeira as the football season in Italy and around the world grinded to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Three of Ronaldo's teammates at Juventus -- Argentine star Paulo Dybala, Italian defender Daniele Rugani and France's World Cup winning midfielder Blaise Matuidi have all tested positive for the novel virus that has taken nearly 65,000 around the world.