Football icon Cristiano Ronaldo has taken a bold step beyond the pitch, announcing a high-profile investment and global partnership with artificial intelligence start-up Perplexity AI, a rapidly emerging platform that is reshaping how people search for and consume information.
The partnership blends Ronaldo’s unmatched global influence with cutting-edge AI technology through a new digital initiative titled “Perplexity x CR7.”
The experience offers fans an immersive, direct and data-driven journey through more than two decades of Ronaldo’s legendary football career, capturing his mindset, achievements, and relentless pursuit of excellence.
Founded in 2022 by former engineers from Google and OpenAI, Perplexity AI has quickly carved out a strong position in the competitive AI search market. The platform is known for delivering real-time, source-backed answers, powered by advanced language models.
With over 10 million weekly queries and a recent funding round valuing the company at approximately $20 billion, Perplexity’s growth reflects escalating global demand for intelligent and reliable AI tools.
The collaboration traces back to October 2025, when Ronaldo publicly revealed that he relied on Perplexity while preparing for his speech at the Portugal Football Globes, where he received the prestigious Globe Prestige Award.
At the time, he credited the platform with helping him research the award’s background and steady his nerves an early sign of a deeper partnership.
Now 40, Ronaldo continues to perform at the elite level with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, repeatedly emphasizing the importance of discipline, mindset, and continuous self-improvement.
With career earnings exceeding $1 billion across football, endorsements, and business ventures, this move further cements his reputation not only as football’s greatest goal-scorer, but also as a calculated investor in technologies that amplify human potential.
Ronaldo has joined Perplexity’s shareholder base, describing the investment as a natural extension of his belief in curiosity, learning, and innovation core principles he has often credited for his enduring success.
While the financial details of the deal remain undisclosed, its symbolic impact is already generating widespread attention.
Announcing the partnership on X (formerly Twitter), Ronaldo wrote:
“Curiosity is a requirement for greatness. You win when you keep asking new questions every day. That’s why I’m proud to invest in Perplexity an engine powering the world’s curiosity.”
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.… pic.twitter.com/gyBgQ3r8yh— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) December 4, 2025
