Football legend Cristiano Ronaldo has made a major move into the artificial intelligence sector by announcing a strategic investment and global brand partnership with Perplexity AI, the rapidly growing answer engine reshaping online search.
The collaboration introduces “Perplexity x CR7,” an interactive digital experience offering fans a comprehensive and immersive look into Ronaldo’s two-decade football career.
Founded in 2022 by former Google and OpenAI engineers, Perplexity has quickly emerged as a strong competitor in the AI search market. It stands out for delivering real-time, cited answers through advanced language models. The platform now handles more than 10 million weekly queries and recently secured a funding round valuing the company at around $20 billion.
Ronaldo has joined Perplexity’s shareholder group, describing the investment as a natural extension of his belief in curiosity and continuous learning—principles he has frequently emphasized throughout his career. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Announcing the partnership on X, he wrote:
“Curiosity is a requirement for greatness. You win when you keep asking new questions every day… Perplexity is powering the world’s curiosity, and together we will inspire everyone to ask more ambitious questions.”
Ronaldo’s association with Perplexity began in October 2025, when he received the Globe Prestige Award at the Portugal Football Globes. During his speech, he revealed he had used Perplexity to research the award’s history and ease pre-event nerves—a moment that now appears to have foreshadowed the current partnership.
Now 40 years old and still performing at a high level for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo continues expanding his business footprint. With career earnings surpassing $1 billion, he is reinforcing his image not only as football’s all-time leading scorer but also as a forward-thinking investor in technologies designed to enhance human potential.
