Trust and loyalty are the foundations of the commercial relationships promoted by investor Cristiano Ronaldo. The manager of his fortune managed his hotel in Manchester and is now a key player in the investments of CR7, the first footballer with a fortune of over one billion.
Discreet but fundamental. This is how Miguel Marques, 52 years old, the manager of Cristiano Ronaldo’s “immense fortune” is described by the Spanish newspaper “Cinco Dias”. “From his office in Lisbon, located above the Louis Vuitton store, on the elegant Avenida da Liberdade, this Portuguese private banker helps the footballer to invest and protect his net worth, estimated at 1.4 billion dollars”, begins by mentioning the Spanish newspaper.
Miguel Marques is executive director and president of LMcapital Wealth Management, based in Lisbon. This specialist previously worked at the Portuguese branch of Anglo Irish Bank Suisse, later acquired by the Swiss company Hyposwiss. The wealth manager became director of the Pestana CR7 hotel (owned by Cristiano Ronaldo) in Manchester, the city that catapulted the Portuguese star to fame.
Within the scope of the Bloomberg billionaires index, Miguel Marques refused the approach and did not agree to comment on his client’s finances, citing his client’s privacy.
“The wealth managers of sports stars usually have a portfolio of athletes and the main banks and investment boutiques offer a wide range of services”, recalls Cinco Dias. But as the wealth of some athletes reaches stratospheric numbers, the need to bet on a family office begins to increase. The newspaper gives some examples: Jump Management, which manages the fortune of multimillionaire Michael Jordan and Team8, which supports Roger Federer in managing his investments.
Trust and loyalty are the foundations of the commercial relationships promoted by Cristiano Ronaldo, according to close sources cited by “Cinco Dias” and who are familiar with the star’s business.
“The player prefers to consult a close group of advisors and friends to make investment decisions, in particular those who have demonstrated discretion. People he considers to have a more indiscreet profile are quickly excluded from his inner circle”, highlights “Cinco Dias”.
As a rule, and as “Cinco Dias” explains, these investments usually reflect a deep connection with their home country. Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly turned to Miguel Marques to help him arrange meetings with investors when he acquired a stake in Cidade do Padel, a club based in Lisbon.
The Spanish newspaper also gives as an example the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo discreetly purchased a large portion of land in Quinta da Marinha, around nine thousand square meters. The deal was closed through intermediaries. According to Miguel Champalimaud, owner of the land and complex, Cristiano Ronaldo’s name remained secret until the end of the negotiations. One of the CR7 representatives who zealously kept the star’s name secret was precisely Miguel Marques, Ronaldo’s discreet wealth manager.
Fortune over one billion
If on the pitch Cristiano Ronaldo already has 948 goals in his career and is 52 away from a thousand accurate shots, outside the pitch the captain of the national team broke yet another record by becoming the first footballer with a fortune exceeding one billion euros, according to accounts made by “Bloomberg”.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract with the Saudi side Al-Nassr, worth 342.6 million euros, contributed to the 1,199 million euros, but also advertising contracts with companies such as Nike, which generates more than 15 million euros annually.
The Portuguese player also has investments in the audiovisual market, namely in the Medialivre group, owner of CMTV, NOW, Correio da Manhã, Negócios, Record and Sábado.
