Juventus and Portugese forward, Cristiano Ronaldo has become football’s first billionaire ahead of rival Lionel Messi, who is also expected to reach the milestone next year.

This makes the 35-year-old, who has scored 725 domestic and international goals in his career, only the third athlete to reach the mark while still active.  He now joins an exclusive list that includes Tiger Woods (who achieved the feat in 2009) and Floyd Mayweather.

The 35-year-old, who was named the highest-paid footballer on the planet in 2020, according to Forbes, is also the highest-earning athlete in lockdown after making nearly £1.9 million through Instagram alone.

With a total of 429.3 million followers across all social media platforms, as well as his $65 million annual salary and bonus at current club Juventus, Ronaldo remains one of the best paid athletes in sport.

Ronaldo, who has also played for Sporting Clube de Portugal, Manchester United and Real Madrid, has earned $650 million in salary during his career. That number is expected to reach $765 by the time his current contract with the 35-time Italian champions ends in June 2022.

Ronaldo raked in $105 million overall for 2020, which included $45 million from Nike, Altice, Herbalife and his own CR7 brand, and made $1 million more than long-time rival Lionel Messi, who collected $32 million from endorsements and $72 million from salary/winnings.