Cristiano Ronaldo received a 30-day suspension and a fine of 255 euros for leaving Portugal’s training camp without authorization during the last international break. The Disciplinary Council of the Portuguese Soccer Federation ruled that the forward committed a disciplinary offense after leaving the team in Copenhagen following his disagreement with head coach Jorge Jesus.

The financial penalty is negligible when compared to the player’s income. According to estimates, Ronaldo earns a gross base salary of 208.4 million euros per season with Al Nassr, not including bonuses.

Cristiano Ronaldo and a Surprising Fine

The incident that led to the penalty occurred after CR7 was left out of the starting lineup against Norway, despite warming up to enter the game for more than half an hour. The forward subsequently left the Portuguese team’s training camp before the match against Denmark.

Ronaldo later explained that his decision was related to a “broken promise” regarding his role on the team and apologized for leaving without permission. Jorge Jesus, for his part, denied that there had been any prior agreement regarding the forward’s playing time.

The Portuguese Football Federation ultimately imposed a 30-day suspension and a fine of 255 euros, equivalent to 2.5 units of account as stipulated in its disciplinary regulations.

How long would it take Ronaldo to pay the 255 euros?

Comparing this to his salary puts into perspective just how small the fine is for Ronaldo.

The Portuguese star earns approximately 208.4 million euros gross per year in base salary, which amounts to about 4.01 million euros per week. This figure does not include his bonuses or other income. If you divide that annual salary by the number of minutes in a year, the result is approximately 397 euros per minute.

Based on that calculation, Ronaldo would need about 39 seconds of his base salary to cover the 255-euro fine.

A sporting penalty far greater than the financial one

The difference between the two figures explains why the fine has caused so much controversy. The 255 euros is practically a symbolic amount for one of the highest-paid soccer players in the world, while the 30-day suspension could have sporting consequences depending on which matches it ends up affecting.

The 41-year-old Portuguese star remains a key player for Portugal and still intends to continue representing the national team. Following the incident, the forward apologized for abandoning his teammates and assured everyone that he had not considered retiring from international soccer.

It now remains to be determined exactly how the suspension will be enforced. The fine, on the other hand, is much simpler: it would take Ronaldo just about 40 seconds of his estimated fixed salary to cover the 255 euros.