Real Madrid have confirmed that Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new contract at the Bernabue . The 28-year-old has signed a 5-year deal, keeping him in Madrid until 2018 when he will be 33. He had 2 years left to run on his current deal.
Ronaldo’s new contract according Sky Sports reports, makes him the highest paid footballer in the world, overtaking the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi as the Spain’s highest paid player. He is set to earn 76m euros between now and the end of his contract, earning him just over 15m euros a year.
Florentino Perez’s decision to offer Ronaldo such a lucrative extension shows Madrid’s intent on keeping the world’s second most expensive player at Madrid, and keeping him happy. This means that all bets are now off regarding the leaving of Ronaldo from Reeal Madrid. The new extension has ended speculation that Ronaldo will make a return to Old Trafford, especially after Gareth Bale overtook him as the worlds most expensive player. There were rumours that Bale’s arrival would have made a move out of Madrid more likely for Ronaldo, but it is now clear that Ronaldo and Bale will be trying to win La Liga and the Champions League as team-mates, the world’s two most expensive footballers.
Since signing for Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2009 for £80m, Ronaldo has scored 203 goals in 203 appearances for Real Madrid, and in that time has helped them win the La Liga title.
When signing the new contract with Madrid President Florentino Perez, Ronaldo stated “I will be honest with you – everyone knows I was in Manchester for six years. Manchester is in the past. Now my club is Real Madrid. This is my home, my family is here and I’m really happy here.”