Soccer Star Cristiano Ronaldo Boosts Herbalife Stock With $7.5 Million Investment

The world’s highest-paid soccer player paid $7.5 million for a 10% stake in Herbalife subsidiary HBL Pro2col Software LLC, a software-based health and nutrition technology that works by collecting users’ health and lifestyle data and using it to create customized nutrition and wellness plans. The announcement came as part of Herbalife’s fourth-quarter results, which saw a modest 2025 full-year sales bump of 1% compared to 2024 and a fourth-quarter sales jump of 6.3%. Ronaldo has been a paid partner of Herbalife since 2013, but this marks his first publicly disclosed investment in the firm. In a statement shared by Herbalife, Ronaldo called the investment a “natural evolution” of their partnership, saying that working with Herbalife is “what motivates [him] at this stage of [his] career.” Herbalife’s stock is up over 15% as of Thursday morning. Ronaldo ranked #1 in Forbes’s 2025 list of the world’s highest-paid soccer players, with earnings of $280 million. About $50 million of that came from off-field activities, including his CR7-branded ventures, which span hotels, fitness centers, and watches. Ronaldo’s YouTube channel, UR Cristiano, has about 77 million subscribers. Across social media platforms, marketing agency Two Circles estimates he has nearly 1.04 billion followers - more than anyone else in the world, making his image uniquely valuable. What To Watch For Ronaldo is set to play for his home country of Portugal in the 2026 North America World Cup this summer. At 41 years old, he will be among the oldest players on the field and will be eyeing a personal milestone of 1,000 career goals. Ronaldo has two Nations League titles and one Euro Championship title in his resume, but has never won a FIFA World Cup. This would be his first time raising the coveted trophy. Ronaldo’s relationship with Herbalife dates back to 2013, when he signed on as a global brand ambassador and official nutrition partner. The company later launched a co-branded sports drink, Herbalife24 CR7 Drive, developed with input from Ronaldo and marketed toward athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Over the past decade, Herbalife has regularly featured Ronaldo in global advertising campaigns. Ronaldo is currently based in Saudi Arabia and plays for the Al Nassr club. Herbalife previously sponsored FC Barcelona in 2010, landing a campaign with Lionel Messi. Thursday’s surge comes after years of weak performance for the stock, which has fallen roughly two-thirds over the past five years. In 2012, billionaire investor Bill Ackman made a $1 billion bet against Herbalife, setting off a widely publicized clash with Carl Icahn, who took the opposite side with a significant long position. Four years later, in 2016, the Federal Trade Commission ordered the company to pay $200 million and overhaul parts of its business to resolve allegations that it misled consumers.