Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo has become football's first-ever billionaire according to a report by Forbes.

The Juventus striker is only the third athlete to reach the milestone after golf legend Tiger Woods and boxing great Floyd Mayweather.

"Ronaldo, the first to reach the earnings milestone in a team sport, has made $650 million on the pitch during his 17 years as a pro and is expected to reach $765 million in career salary with his current contract, which ends in June 2022," the Forbes report read.

"Messi, who began playing at the senior level three years after Ronaldo, has earned a total of $605 million in salary since 2005. The only team athlete to even come within striking distance of those figures was former New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, who retired in 2016 after 22 years in Major League Baseball having earned $450 million in salary.

The 35-year-old attacker has been named the fourth-highest earning celebrity in 2020 by the magazine, behind tennis legend Roger Federer, rapper Kanye West and Kylie Jenner.

Although Messi’s salary this year was drastically reduced by 70% because the crisis, Forbes predicts the Argentine sensation will join his eternal rival in the billionaire’s club next year.