Cristiano Ronaldo has spent more than a decade appearing alongside Herbalife as a global ambassador and promoting products linked to sports nutrition. That relationship has now taken a different direction. According to a Forbes report, the footballer has invested $7.5 million in HBL Pro2col Software LLC, a health and nutrition technology business owned by Herbalife, acquiring a 10% stake in the company. The deal, disclosed alongside Herbalife’s fourth-quarter results in February 2026, makes Ronaldo a shareholder in a business connected to a brand he has represented since 2013. It also gives him a direct financial interest in a technology platform built around personal health and lifestyle information, rather than simply an endorsement arrangement.
Ronaldo’s Herbalife partnership evolves into an ownership stake
Ronaldo’s association with Herbalife began in 2013, when he became a global brand ambassador and the company’s official nutrition partner. The relationship continued through advertising campaigns and the development of Herbalife24 CR7 Drive, a sports drink carrying Ronaldo’s name and aimed at athletes and fitness users.For years, the arrangement remained familiar territory for a major sports star: Ronaldo promoted the brand while Herbalife used his profile to reach consumers interested in fitness and performance. The latest agreement changes the nature of that relationship. He is no longer involved only as a paid representative. His $7.5 million investment gives him an ownership interest in one of Herbalife’s businesses.Herbalife described the transaction in its February earnings announcement, while Ronaldo said the investment represented a natural progression from their existing partnership.
A $7.5 million stake gives Ronaldo a role in Herbalife’s health-tech unit
The investment is in HBL Pro2col Software LLC, a health-tech platform designed to work with information supplied by users about their health and lifestyle. That information can then be used to generate personalised nutrition and wellness plans.Ronaldo paid $7.5 million for 10% of the subsidiary. The size of the stake places the footballer directly alongside the business rather than simply attaching his name to its products. His involvement also comes at a time when nutrition and personalised wellness are increasingly connected with software and data-based services.The company sits within Herbalife rather than operating as an entirely separate venture. That makes Ronaldo’s investment closely tied to the wider nutrition business with which he has already had a long commercial relationship.
Herbalife’s latest results coincide with a sharp rise in its share price
The announcement arrived with Herbalife’s fourth-quarter financial results. The company reported a 6.3% increase in sales for the final quarter of 2025, while full-year sales were up 1% compared with 2024. Herbalife’s share price reacted sharply when the news reached investors. The stock was reported to be more than 15% higher on Thursday morning following the announcement.That movement came against a longer period of weakness for the company’s shares. Herbalife’s stock had fallen by roughly two-thirds over the previous five years, making the reaction to the Ronaldo investment particularly visible in the market.
Ronaldo adds ownership to a decade-long Herbalife partnership
Ronaldo’s connection with Herbalife has survived several stages of his football career. The company has used him in international advertising and promotional campaigns, while Ronaldo has continued to associate his personal fitness brand with nutrition and athletic performance.The partnership has also extended beyond conventional advertising. Herbalife24 CR7 Drive was developed with input from Ronaldo and marketed as a sports drink for people involved in athletic activity. His name has therefore been linked to the company’s sports nutrition products for years before he acquired a financial stake in its technology arm. The new investment builds on that history, but it is different in one important respect. An endorsement provides a commercial relationship between a public figure and a company. Ownership gives the individual a direct interest in the underlying business.
Ronaldo’s wider business interests
The Herbalife deal is another addition to a business portfolio that extends well beyond football. Ronaldo has developed the CR7 name across several areas, including hotels, fitness centres and watches, while also maintaining a substantial presence on social media. Forbes ranked him as the highest-paid footballer in its 2025 list, estimating his earnings at $280 million. Around $50 million came from activities outside football.His digital reach has become another significant part of that commercial profile. His YouTube channel, UR Cristiano, had around 77 million subscribers, while marketing agency Two Circles estimated that his combined social-media following was close to 1.04 billion, as reported by Forbes.
Ronaldo’s new Herbalife stake comes amid a long corporate history
The investment also comes against the background of Herbalife’s longer and sometimes turbulent corporate history. The company became the focus of a major Wall Street dispute in 2012 after billionaire investor Bill Ackman announced a $1 billion short position against it. The bet prompted a highly public clash with investor Carl Icahn, who took a substantial position in the opposite direction. The dispute kept Herbalife in the financial spotlight for several years.In 2016, the Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with Herbalife that required the company to pay $200 million and change parts of its business practices. The FTC had alleged that the company had misled consumers. Herbalife agreed to the settlement without admitting or denying the allegations.
