The discreet Lisbon money manager tending Ronaldo’s US$1.4 billion
Wealth managers for sports stars have tended to have a stable of athletes, with major banks and boutiques offering a wide range of services
[LISBON] Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most visible sports stars in the world today and the most followed person on Instagram.
This is quite unlike his wealth manager, however. Miguel Marques is a discreet but pivotal figure in tending to the Portuguese footballer’s immense fortune.
Operating from a Lisbon office above the Louis Vuitton flagship store on the swanky Avenida da Liberdade, the 52-year-old private banker from Portugal helps Ronaldo deploy and protect his estimated US$1.4 billion net worth.
Marques is listed as the chief executive officer and chairman of Lisbon-based LMcapital Wealth Management on the firm’s website. His previous experience includes working at the Portuguese subsidiary of Anglo Irish Bank Suisse, which was later acquired by Switzerland’s Hyposwiss.
He was also listed as a director in Ronaldo’s Pestana CR7 hotel in Manchester, the Northern UK city where the young Ronaldo rose to global stardom playing for Manchester United in the English Premier League.
Marques declined to comment on his client’s finances when contacted by Bloomberg, citing privacy reasons.
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Wealth managers for sports stars have tended to have a stable of athletes, with major banks and boutiques offering a wide range of services.
But as some athletes’ wealth reaches stratospheric heights, the need for their own family office has begun to increase. Basketball star Michael Jordan, also a billionaire, has Jump Management, while retired tennis legend Roger Federer’s Team8 helps manage his vast investments.
Ronaldo’s business relationships are built on trust and loyalty, according to those familiar with his dealings. The player prefers to consult a close group of advisers and friends for investment decisions, particularly those who have demonstrated discretion. Individuals he believes have been indiscreet are quickly excluded from his inner circle.
Those investments often reflect a deep connection to his home country. He turned to Marques to help set up meetings with investors when considering taking a stake in City of Padel, a popular Lisbon-based racket club.
A few years ago, Ronaldo also quietly purchased a large plot of land in Quinta da Marinha, an exclusive golf and residential resort. The roughly 9,000 square metre plot, one of the most coveted in the area, is being transformed into what’s expected to be one of the most private and secure homes on Portugal’s coastline.
The deal was arranged through several intermediaries. According to Miguel Champalimaud, who owned the land and the resort, Ronaldo’s name was kept secret until the end of negotiations.
“I only found out on the day that the deal was done,” he said. “The middlemen hid Ronaldo’s name until the end.”
One of those jealously guarding his client’s identity was Marques himself, the quiet wealth manager entrusted with steering Ronaldo’s fortune.
Lucrative endorsements
It was announced earlier this week that the 40-year-old Ronaldo – who currently plays for Saudi Arabia Pro League club Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team – became the first footballer to reach billionaire status, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The striker’s financial ascent comes after he signed a new contract with Al-Nassr in June that was reportedly worth more than US$400 million.
Bloomberg said that Ronaldo earned more than US$550 million in salary between 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly US$18 million annually, as well as lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than US$175 million to his fortune.
Ronaldo‘s move to Al-Nassr from Manchester United in 2023 had already made him the highest-paid player in football history, with an annual salary of £177 million (S$305.8 million), plus bonuses and a reported 15 per cent share in his Saudi Arabia club.
Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has earned more than US$600 million in pre-tax salary during his career.
Ronaldo‘s billionaire status places him among a rare group of athletes that includes basketball greats Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James, golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Federer.
And even though he’s already 40, an age where many of his peers have long hung up their football boots, Ronaldo suggested that he was not considering retirement any time soon.
“I still have a passion for this. My family says it’s time to quit and they ask me why I want to score 1,000 goals if I’ve already scored 900-something. But I don’t think that way inside,” he said at the Portugal Football Globes gala event on Tuesday (Oct 7).
“I’m still producing good things, I’m helping my club and the national team. Why not continue? I am sure that when I finish I will leave full because I gave everything of myself. I know I don’t have many years left to play, but the few I have left, I have to enjoy them to the fullest.” BLOOMBERG, REUTERS
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