Cristiano
Ronaldo's status as arguably the world's best footballer has given him
untold wealth, but the Real Madrid star still seems keen to extend his
already burgeoning business portfolio.
The
Portugal captain, who helped his team to their first ever major
international title at Euro 2016 this summer, has opened a new hotel in
partnership with the Pestana Group.
Working
alongside Dionisio Pestana, Ronaldo has launched four new boutique
hotels with the Real Madrid star helping to officially unveil the
Funchal branch in his birthplace of Madeira on Friday.
Cristiano Ronaldo attended the official unveiling of one of his four new hotels in Madeira on Friday afternoon
Ronaldo is expanding into the hotel business as part of a new partnership with the Pestana Hotel Group
Ronaldo waves to the crowd after unveiling the first of four hotels on Madeira - the island on which he was born
The hotel,
which is already up and running, has 49 rooms - 25 of which are referred
to as 'CR7 type rooms', in reference to the former Manchester United
man.
There are also 23 'Superior CR7' rooms and one suite for those visiting to take advantage of.
Announcing
his latest business venture, Ronaldo said: 'The first Pestana CR7 had
to be in Funchal - my city that also is considered the best island by
the World Travel Awards.
'It
is a great pride for me - the opening of this my first hotel. It marks
my entrance into a completely new area. This new project is going to be a
huge success in the four corners of the world.'
After
building his first hotel in his homeland of Portugal, Ronaldo plans to
unveil further Pestana CR7 Lifestyle Hotels in Lisbon, Madrid and New
York.
The
three-time winner of the Ballon d'Or is the main source of inspiration
behind the four hotels with the Lisbon site scheduled to open in the
third quarter of this year.
The Madrid
and New York projects are set to be implemented in 2017. The partnership
between Ronaldo and Pestana is split equally though the hotel group are
in charge of all operational matters.
The total cost of building the four hotels is estimated at 75million euros.
As
one of sport's most glamorous individuals, it's no surprise to learn
the rooms inside Ronaldo's hotel venture are luxurious to say the least.
Dionisio
Pestana, Pestana Hotel Group Chairman, said: 'This fourth brand is a
decisive step in the commitment of the Pestana Group to a new generation
of hotels.'
Ronaldo
added to his already glittering CV this summer by lifting the European
Championship title with Portugal, adding to the La Liga and Champions
League crowns he's won with Madrid.
Now
31, the star forward still has a few years left in him yet but is
clearly planning for life after his career on the pitch comes to an
end.
He
already has a number of sponsorship deals in place which have made him
one of the world's richest men on the back of his footballing ability.
