Cristiano Ronaldo To Juventus: Huge Financial Potential Of $131 Million Move

Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus shocked many in the soccer world but what wasn't so unexpected was the financial potential it would have.

Ronaldo kickstarted a new chapter in his long career when he signed for the Serie A champions from Real Madrid in a $131 million (€112 million) deal earlier this month.

After four Champions League titles, two La Liga triumphs and 451 goals in 438 games for Madrid, the Portugal star will now have a chance to further his legacy in a new league, having already conquered the Premier League in his early career.

While the $131 million fee is more than steep for a player who will turn 34 next February, Ronaldo is a rare exception to the rule who is continuing to play at the top level and who himself believes can keep doing it until his forties.

But it's not just his goals and on-pitch presence that Juventus will be benefiting from. They're already benefiting financially from the move as in the first 24 hours after Juventus released his kit, nearly half his transfer fee in $62.4 million was generated through 520,000 jerseys getting sold, according to Business Insider.

And Juventus could benefit even further from the transfer as auditing company KPMG looked at the economics of the move through its Football Benchmark report.

According to the report, Juventus "need to increase their operating revenues over forthcoming seasons" to justify the outlay of Ronaldo's transfer fee as well as his £26.7 million ($35.1 million) net per season four-year contract.

But because of Ronaldo's brand and social media following, it will give the Turin club major growth opportunity in the commercial space, especially in merchandising and sponsoring, to add an additional €75 million ($87.7 million) to €100m ($116.9 million) which compliments the €120m ($140.3 million) reported in their latest accounts as of June 30, 2017.

In doing so, Juventus would reach two thirds of the average commercial revenues of the major European super clubs such as Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich within the same year.

"There is no doubt that the signing of CR7 provides the club with a new, greater bargaining position with their main sponsors," the report reads. "In addition to that, the global appetite for Ronaldo provides the Bianconeri with the opportunity to sign new lucrative licensing agreements, combined with the identification of new global sponsors."

With more than 332 million followers combined through his Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts and endorsements that include Nike, Electronic Arts and Herbalife, Ronaldo was always going to have an impact.

Just the rumors of him being linked with Juventus saw the club's stock price increase by approximately 32 percent earlier this month. And with Ronaldo having six times the digital fan base of Juventus, the Serie A champions saw their Twitter and Instagram accounts grow by 15 percent and 25 percent respectively from July 5-17.

Juventus' shareholders will also be able to fully capitalise on the investment on Ronaldo if "their business strategy is adapted to better monetise their social media audience," the growth of which is expected to continue.

"What matters is not only the absolute number of followers, but also their geographical distribution in order to understand in which markets Juventus FC can expand their presence," the report added. "Ronaldo’s social media exposure within Asia, South and Central America, and the US would help the club to create a more global brand which, in turn, would eventually result in higher revenues."

It's not just Juventus who will benefit, however, but the Italian league as well. Regarded a level below the Premier League and La Liga, the addition of Ronaldo allows Serie A, whose deal with TIM expired at the end of last season, to strike a more favorable deal due to the leverage of having a true global superstar.

More than anything though, Juventus fans will be hoping Ronaldo takes them the extra mile in the Champions League, where they've lost their last five finals in 1997, 1998, 2003, 2015 and 2017.