RONALDO: A RELATIONSHIP OF TWO HALVES

As of August 2025 Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, the iconic Portuguese footballer, is engaged to Georgina Rodríguez, 31, a Spanish model and influencer. The couple reportedly met in 2016, when Georgina was working as a sales assistant at a Gucci store in Madrid.  Their relationship blossomed quickly, and they began living together shortly thereafter.  They have since become one of the most talked-about celebrity couples.

Ronaldo is currently playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, having made a high-profile move from Manchester United in 2023.  His presence in the league has brought significant attention to football in the region, showcasing his enduring influence on the sport.  Ronaldo's estimated net worth is around £400 million, accumulated through his illustrious football career, endorsements, and business ventures. Georgina Rodríguez has carved out her own successful career in modelling and social media influencing, with an estimated net worth of around £8 million. She has further expanded her public profile with her Netflix show, "I Am Georgina", which offers viewers an intimate look into her life, career, and her relationship with Ronaldo.

Nearly ten years after meeting, Ronaldo and Rodríguez have decided to marry.  The wedding will no doubt be lavish and they will come out for the second half of their relationship legally-married.

Aside from THAT ring, there is much comment in the press (at least from family practitioners) about the importance of nuptial agreements, within which the couple could agree arrangements for the division of finances in the event of a future divorce.  The obvious benefit of doing so would be to provide clarity about their respective financial claims in those unfortunate circumstances.

Typically, nuptial agreements provide for a couple to retain assets they respectively acquired prior to the marriage, subject to provision for needs or other specified financial support.  There is one particular implication of their marriage, which is perhaps less obvious, but which is financially significant.

They are an international couple with connections to various countries, including England.  It is not inconceivable that on a future separation they could be subject to English law if, after marrying, they settled in England.  Without a pre- or postnuptial agreement, the starting point under English law would be for the assets acquired during the marriage to be divided equally.  However, case law provides that a period of ‘seamless’ cohabitation prior to a marriage should not be differentiated from the marriage itself for the purposes of the ‘sharing principle’ when considering a division of the assets.  This is of particular significance, bearing in mind that much of the wealth generated by both Cristiano (via his lucrative earnings in Saudi) and Georgina (as her profile has increased) will likely have been accrued before the marriage, but during their cohabitation.  In this respect, as with many other couples who have been cohabiting for an extended period before tying the knot, it would be prudent to consider whether alternative arrangements for assets of this nature should be specified in a nuptial agreement to avoid an outcome in the future that might be contrary to the couple’s intentions at that time that they entered into a marriage.