Is there any flipside to being insanely famous? Not the semi-influencer-style famous, but the kind of fame held by the most followed person on Instagram, boasting over 638 million followers. Only one man can claim this incredible accomplishment, and that’s living legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who also has 62.8 million followers on YouTube, a platform he joined only a month ago on August 21. His fame is as fervent as his football, leading many fans to believe that the star, with his immense wealth, lavish watches, and private jets, must want for nothing.
However, there is a downside to such fame, and Ronaldo, along with his influencer partner Georgina Rodriguez, who has her own Netflix series, has experienced it firsthand. The young family, which will soon be relocating to Portugal and is in the process of building a lavish mansion in the popular town of Cascais, wished to enroll their five children in the exclusive St. Julian’s School, according to AS.com. Surprisingly, their schooling plans were thwarted as the kids were denied admission due to their immensely popular parents.
Existing parents opposed the admission of the famous footballer’s children, raising privacy concerns for other students who also come from wealthy and influential families. They challenged the school by asking whether it could guarantee the safety and privacy of their children, given the attention Ronaldo’s kids would bring. After all, their father has ten times the followers on Instagram compared to the entire population of Portugal. Presenter Adriano Silva Martins of the program ‘V+Fama’ shared, “Some parents don’t want the school to be the focus of constant news and questioned whether this would somehow change the routine.”
Ronaldo and Rodriguez visited the school, which is also Portugal’s leading British international institution, in 2022. It was established in 1932 in a tony neighborhood in Carcavelos; however, those trips yielded no results. The nearly century-old school boasts a rich history while preparing its students for a bright future. It operates as a one-to-one iPad school, focusing on outdoor education and providing students with opportunities to engage in collaborative and independent learning to achieve common goals.
The Palácio houses the main classrooms, dining hall, and administrative offices, while the theatre can seat up to 200 spectators. St. Julian’s School also offers a plethora of impressive sports facilities, including outdoor tennis courts, volleyball and basketball courts, football and rugby pitches, an obstacle course, and a fitness room. This environment would have been the perfect platform for Ronaldo’s kids, who are already showing a keen interest in sports.
The yearly fees for this prestigious institution amount to around $31,000 annually, which is pocket change for a man who topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career. Ronaldo’s estimated on-field earnings in 2024 reached $200 million, while his off-field income was a cool $60 million. Not many athletes can boast a net worth like that of the 39-year-old. Despite his monumental wealth and fame, Ronaldo sadly could not charm his way into the school.
