SOCCER
Cristiano-Trump, a phantom alliance
In 2015, it was reported that Cristiano Ronaldo had purchased a luxury apartment in New York’s Trump Tower, but nothing was as it seemed.
When someone mentions Cristiano Ronaldo, the first thought that comes to mind is often of one of the greatest athletes of this century, but hardly of any connection to Donald Trump. Nearly a decade ago, however, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner was linked to a property in New York. A footballer buying a multimillion-dollar property in the most expensive city in the United States, alongside Los Angeles – who would care?
Yet, the rumor spread like wildfire when the location was revealed: Trump Tower.
In 2015, the New York Post reported that the Portuguese star, one of the most high-profile celebrities at the time, had paid nearly $20 million for a loft located on Fifth Avenue, a 232-square-meter property in Trump Tower. The news went around the world faster than Willy Fog. It was even claimed that the apartment served as the “inspiration” for the setting of the famous film Fifty Shades of Grey. At that time, Cristiano was captivating the world with Real Madrid, and Trump was just a year away from becoming president.
No media outlet was able to verify the story. Cristiano’s camp never commented on the matter, nor did Trump. Having a megastar like the Portuguese player in one of his properties was free publicity that would have been hard to decline. In 2021, another story emerged – a bittersweet outcome for the footballer. Outlets like Vanity Fair reported that Cristiano had sold the same property for a sum far below his purchase price, at $7.75 million, resulting in losses of over $10 million. As in 2015, neither Cristiano’s camp nor Trump’s commented on the matter.
A ghost property
Rivers of ink have flowed about the Portuguese’s ownership in the real estate mogul’s luxury building. Even when Trump came to power, the Washington Post reported that “nearly 7,400 fans had signed a petition” asking Cristiano to get rid of his property in Trump Tower due to the president’s poor image. But it mattered little.
Why? Because Cristiano never owned that loft overlooking Central Park.
“Ronaldo was never, ever the owner”
According to an investigation by The Athletic, the real owner of the property was a woman named Judy Roth Berkowitz. “The property was sold in 2021 on behalf of Berkowitz by real estate agent Lee Summers for $7.18 million to the Chinese company Yong Xi Company LLC,” the publication explains, quoting Summers, a real estate agent in the city.
“An article was published in the New York Post claiming that Cristiano Ronaldo was the owner of the apartment. We were as surprised as anyone else. To be clear, Cristiano Ronaldo was never the owner of that apartment. Judy never sold the apartment until I sold it to a Chinese woman. The whole Ronaldo story arose because reports said the apartment was discounted and that he had bought it for $18 million.”
“The rumor wouldn’t die and took on a life of its own. Ronaldo was never, ever, the owner of the property. Judy bought it a long time ago, around 1990 or 1992, and held onto it for a long time. There was never any deal with Ronaldo. She doesn’t recall anyone ever negotiating with him,” Summers concluded.