Football icon Cristiano Ronaldo has made a significant move into the AI sector, announcing a high-profile investment and brand partnership with Perplexity AI. This fast-growing answer engine is currently redefining the way people search for information.
The Perplexity deal combines Cristiano’s global influence and advanced technology, backed by a new “Perplexity x CR7” experience that offers fans an unfiltered, interactive look at his legendary career, much like how Cristiano Ronaldo plays during matches.
Founded in 2022 by former engineers from Google and OpenAI, Perplexity has quickly gained traction in the competitive AI search market. It distinguishes itself by providing real-time, quoted answers driven by refined models. The company has experienced rapid growth, with over 10 million weekly queries. This success was recently underscored by a major funding round that valued it at approximately $20 billion.
Ronaldo joins the shareholder base, calling his investment a natural extension of his belief that curiosity and constant learning are essential to greatness, something Cristiano Ronaldo has often discussed in interviews. However, the financial terms have not yet been disclosed.
In his announcement on X, he wrote: “Curiosity is a requirement for greatness. You win when you keep asking new questions every day. That’s why I am proud to announce my investment in Perplexity. Perplexity is powering the world’s curiosity, and together we will inspire everyone to ask more ambitious questions.”
At the core of the partnership is “Perplexity x CR7,” a digital hub that consolidates over two decades of Ronaldo’s football career into one immersive space dedicated to Cristiano Ronaldo’s journey in sports.
The collaboration with Perplexity dates back to October 2025, when Ronaldo received the prestigious Globe Prestige Award at the Portugal Football Globes ceremony. During his acceptance speech, he shared that he had used Perplexity to research the award’s history and to calm his nerves beforehand, a moment that now seems like a clear instance of foreshadowing.
Cristiano Ronaldo, now 40, is still performing at the highest level with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. He mentioned several times that mindset matters for a person, and these investments reflect it. With career earnings exceeding $1 billion from salaries, endorsements, and business ventures, he is establishing himself not just as football’s all-time leading scorer but as a smart investor in technologies that improve human potential, much like his own relentless drive to improve every time.