This week the news broke: the investment fund TPG Growth put Crunch Fitness, Cristiano Ronaldo’s gym chain, up for sale for more than $1.5 billion. If the sale materializes, TPG Growth would leave the business 5 years later, when the company had just over 300 clubs. The information took the 2.5 million users of the company installed in 7 countries by surprise. The American chain of low-cost gyms intends to divest from the fitness business by transferring the more than 400 facilities it owns. The investment fund, a partner until now of CR7, is looking for a buyer who will assume the starting price at which it values the company: 1,500 million dollars (1,427 million euros), including its current debt.
The reaction of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has lent his image to the signing since the summer of 2016, when he was still a member of Real Madrid, is unknown at the moment. In fact, the Portuguese not only lends his image corporately but also became a partner of the brand by personalizing one of the gyms in the capital with his own name. The space, inaugurated under the CR7 Fitness by Crunch concept, is located on María de Molina Street in Madrid and has become the brand’s flagship in Madrid since its opening due to its premium location. After the inauguration of the capital came two more inaugurations, CR7 Crunch Badajoz and CR7 Crunch Aveiro, located in Portugal, the player’s homeland. Now it seems that the business has lost steam and not even the image of the Portuguese is enough to revive the gym chain. Some suggest that the once powerful brand image of the Portuguese striker has faded due to his move to Arab football, after signing in 2022 for Al-Nassr FC, of the Saudi Professional League. His reputation, once enough to turn everything he touched into gold, seems to languish in remoteness compared to the influence he exerted when he lived in Europe. But is that true? Has CR7’s star as a brand image faded? Has your departure to Arabia been the end of your career as an influencer?
We answer the question with the help of Personality Media, the reference company in the celebrity analysis market as a communication tool. «Cristiano is an international brand known throughout the world. His departure to Arabia surely has to do with the possibility of opening a market for his businesses, not to mention the more favorable tax regime. According to Santiago Mollinedo, CEO of the company, “CR7 has achieved the most difficult thing for a Latino, which is to make his way in the Asian market.” A case, that of the footballer that has no comparison with that of his young wife. «It has nothing to do with Georgina. She has become known for the fame she brings from him but she has no point of comparison. “He doesn’t sing, he doesn’t act, he has made a series about his life, but apart from showing how he lives and how he spends Cristiano’s money, he doesn’t contribute much else.” Regarding whether the forward’s departure to the Middle East has been able to dent his reputation as an influencer, his answer is clear. »Spain is a thimble in the world. His stay at Real Madrid has helped him in terms of fame but Cristiano’s impact is worldwide. There are few celebrities who cannot get out of a taxi on Alcalá Street without having to be escorted by the Police. Cristiano is one of them.
At the level of David Beckham
Regarding the comparison of his fame with that of other footballers, curiously CR7 only has to envy one former teammate: David Beckham. According to Mollinedo, Beckham is an example of a world famous person with greater impact than CR7. «In the case of Beckham – he points out – his impact as a famous footballer is combined with the fame of Victoria Adams, his wife, who is also known around the world at the same level as him. They are a unique example. It seems that in the case of the wives of the two footballers, Georgina would also lose out when compared to the Spice Girls’ posh girl. «Victoria is a character of global relevance. If Georgina shows up in jeans and a T-shirt in Mexico City, I don’t think practically anyone would know her. This is not the case with Victoria. Georgina is making a mark. “Her Netflix documentaries give her new notoriety.”

Despite losing out in the comparison, the “Cristiano Ronaldo” brand as such is still valid, as much as before leaving for Arab football.. «Same even more. When he lived in Spain his image was very polarized by football and the rivalry with other teams. In Saudi Arabia there are no such controversies and what comes out from there and reaches the rest of the world is usually positive news, their goals, etc… that makes their brand grow and, therefore, their influence too.