Ronaldo could be down $6.5 million in bonuses after Man United’s latest season without silverware
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Manchester United’s fifth season in succession without winning silverware looks set to cost Cristiano Ronaldo as much as $6.5 million in performance related bonuses, according to reports.
The Portuguese star was hailed by fans as being the final piece of the puzzle when he completed his Old Trafford reunion late last summer alongside fellow stars Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane – but the trio have been unable to topple both Manchester City and Liverpool from the summit of English football.
The Red Devils, who canned former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November after a string of abject performances, have also been unceremoniously dumped out of the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup in a season which ranks among the worst of the post-Ferguson era in Manchester.
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The club, who are now guided by interim boss Ralf Rangnick, also look set to miss out on a coveted top four position in the Premier League, a situation which would – temporarily at least – remove them from European football’s top table next season.
And per to reports online, the series of below par showings at Old Trafford haven’t just left fans red-faced, they are set to significantly reduce Ronaldo’s already eye-watering earnings.
Ronaldo would have been due a sum of $3.2 million had they qualified for this season’s Champions League final but a two-legged defeat to Atletico Madrid put paid to that particular revenue stream.
Had United won the Premier League for the first time since 2013, it would have added nearly $2 million to Ronaldo’s pay packet – while Man United’s early exit from both domestic cup competitions are also thought to have cost Ronaldo potential earnings.
Ronaldo, though, is due for a bonus if he manages to finish the season as the Red Devils’ top goalscorer. His 18 goals in 33 matches currently have him in pole position in the goalscoring ranks, some nine goals ahead of the next best-placed player Bruno Fernandes.
But before anyone considers passing a hat around for the multiple time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo shouldn’t be left in too difficult a financial predicament given that his annual salary at Old Trafford is thought to be somewhere in the region of $35 million.
Ronaldo is currently on international duty with Portugal and is expected to lead his country in Tuesday’s pivotal World Cup qualification playoff with North Macedonia in Porto.
