FOOTBALL icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are still at the top of their game and have lives that would make anyone envious.
The Portuguese legend, 36, recently celebrated overtaking Pele’s goal record with a hat-trick against Cagliari – and now has a staggering 740 career goals to his name.
While the Barcelona ace, 33, beat Xavi’s appearance record against Real Sociedad – the 768th time he’s played for the Catalans – and for good measure he scored twice too in a 4-1 win.
Because of their brilliance over the years, the pair have seen their bank accounts swell and boast vast fortunes.
And according to Forbes, they are the ONLY two footballers who have become billionaires.
So what do they spend their money on?
HOMES
Cristiano has lived in some amazing homes through the years – and has a come a long since his humble beginnings in Madeira.
After making it at Old Trafford, Ronaldo splashed £3m on an incredible estate in Alderley Edge.
Then, when he moved to Real Madrid in 2009 for £80million he bought a stunning £4.8million mansion in the exclusive La Finca neighbourhood.
Currently he lives in Turin in two adjoining villas found on a private road guarded by security, which leads to an entrance gate.
The villas themselves have separate entrances, and are surrounded by lush gardens and vegetation.
The property is so high up, ‘it’s as if Turin were at the feet of CR7, a tribute of the city to the long-awaited and newly-arrived champion,’ La Gazzetta dello Sport reported at the time of purchase.
There’s a state-of-the-art gym that he and former shop assistant Georgina love to use together. And there’s also a swimming pool, which Ronaldo cools down in by doing a few laps following a strenuous session lifting weights.
Ronaldo also has a £1.4million holiday home in the Costa del Sol, as well as a £7million home in Madeira his mum and brother live in.
Messi’s modern £5.5million Barcelona mansion he lives in with Antonella Roccuzzo features incredible views of the Balearic Sea, and due to environmental restrictions a no-fly zone is in place over the Castelldefels property.
Just 12 miles away from the Camp Nou, Messi’s abode also has a small football pitch, a swimming pool, an indoor gym and a playground for his three children.
Earlier this year, Messi was also said to have splashed £7.25m on a luxury apartment in the Porsche Design Tower in Miami.
Amazingly, the building boasts three car lifts allowing residents to park their vehicle on the same floor as their suite.
CARS
Juventus forward Ronaldo is a car collector, and SunSport has estimated in the past his garage is worth £16million.
The two standouts of his collection are his Bugatti Centodieci that cost £8.5million, and is one of only 10 in the world.
He also owns a Bugatti Chiron worth £2.5million and a £1.7million Bugatti Veyron.
For his 35th birthday, his gorgeous Wag Georgina Rodriguez gifted him a Mercedes G-Class Brabus, an SUV that can cost up to £600,000.
A £260,000 Lamborghini Aventador and a Ferrari F12 TDF that would’ve set CR7 back £350,000 are also kept in pristine condition in his collection.
Messi also loves luxury cars – although he isn’t in the same bracket as Ronaldo in terms of being a collector.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner has a £1.5million Pagani Zonda, which is the most expensive in his collection.
He has a penchant for Maserati, with a £100,000 GranTurismo S and a GranTurismo MC Stradale among his fleet.
Messi has also been seen driving a Ferrari F43 Spider worth £173,000 around Barcelona.
Before Barcelona’s deal with Audi expired, he wasn’t afraid to drive their sponsored cars too.
Although with Barcelona’s deal with Audi ending last year, there were no more freebies from the German car giants.
PRIVATE JET
Both Ronaldo and Messi enjoy a jet-set lifestyle, so it’s no wonder they have their own planes.
In 2015, CR7 reportedly paid £20million for a a Gulfstream G200 twin-engine jet.
Originally named the ‘Astra Galaxy’, the G200 is capable of reaching a top speed of 560mph.
Its range is up to 3,910 miles with four passengers in tow, so it’s ideal for quick flights from Italy to hubs around Europe.
And the G200 offers a generous seating configuration, and can fit as many as eight to 10 passengers for one flight.
Messi leases a £12million Gulfstream V jet, which he first started using in 2018.
The plane was infamously forced to make an emergency landing in Brussels due to a technical fault last year.
It boasts a number of incredible features, including its very own kitchen. There are two bathrooms and enough seats for 16 people.
Messi even has the names of his family adorned on the jet, with wife Antonella, plus children Thiago, Ciro and Mateo all having their names etched on the steps.
YACHT
In 2019, Ronaldo took to the seas to expand on his empire of amazing things.
He added a £5.5million superyacht to his life, and why not?
Built in the Versilia shipyards of Azimut-Benett, it boasts five luxury cabins and six stunningly decorated bathrooms.
There’s also a modern kitchen onboard, as well as two relaxation areas, a huge lounge, and a lavish dining room.
No stranger to a life at sea, Messi doesn’t own a yacht – but often holiday with pals including Luis Suarez and Cesc Fabregas onboard the Seven C yacht in
Measuring nearly 92ft long, it was first built in 2003 before having a refit in 2011.
Boasting luxury interiors throughout, the vessel sleeps ten guests in four rooms, including a master suite, a VIP stateroom and two twin cabins.
Her sizeable deck area offers plenty of room for sunbathing and relaxing, while there’s an outdoor bar to cater for guest’s thirsts.
Astonishingly, it costs £40,000 a week to rent.
HOTELS
With an eye on retirement, Ronaldo and Messi are both hoteliers now.
The Argentine’s business MiM is run by brother, Rodrigo and features three hotels in Spain.
There’s his Hotel MiM Sitges, in a coastal area of Barcelona which SunSport had the pleasure to visit, which he bought in 2017.
Messi added an Art-Deco Ibiza resort to his portfolio the same year – with rooms costing £250-per-night.
His reasonable MiM Mallorca costs £70-per-night, and was snapped up in 2019.
While the most recent addition to the group is the Himalaia hotel at the Spanish ski resort Baqueira-Beret.
Ronaldo is slowly building his hotel empire.
Through the Pestana CR7 Group, the forward already has budget places to stay in Funchal and Lisbon.
But plans are afoot to open hotels in New York, Madrid, Paris and Marrakech.
Where would you stay?
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
