Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is on a whirlwind tour of Singapore and China signing endorsements and meetings billionaire friends and former team mates.
On his first leg of stop over after a 16-hour private jet ride in Singapore on Friday, the 32-year-old football player met his billionaire friend Peter Lim, who owns Mint Media, the group that owns Ronaldo's global image rights.
Ronaldo signed an endorsement deal with Thomson Medical Centre, where Peter Lim's daughter gave birth to a baby just a day before. Later, he will have dinner with the family of Peter, before leaving for his next stop over in China.
Peter Lim's daughter gave birth yesterday so today Cristiano Ronaldo is in Singapore for one day to visit & sign deal with Thomson Medical pic.twitter.com/TKOGvBEZPx
— Aysha Ridzuan (@ayshardzn) July 21, 2017
He was greeted by more than 100 fans at the Thomson Medical Center but he was quietly moved inside by the security guards.
Thomson Medical Center, headquartered in Singapore, was acquired by Peter Lim in 2011. One of the top five corporate hospitals in Singapore, it provides healthcare services for women and children, with focus on obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatric services. It has overseas centers in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Run under the Thomson brand, the Group is fast expanding into the entire healthcare value chain. No wonder, as part of its move to build an integrated health system under the Thomson brand in Singapore and in Pan-Asia, the group is roping in the football legend Cristiano Ronaldo as the brand ambassador.
In his earlier visit to Singapore in 2013, Ronaldo attended a function at the Crest Secondary School in Jurong East to support the Singapore Olympic Foundation-Peter Lim Scholarship, which provides financial support to young athletes. He had also shown his skills to more than 200 students before giving a motivational talk, reported Straights Times.
Ronaldo also endorses other top brands such as Nike, Tag Heuer, Emporio Armani and Herbalife. His earnings from endorsements, according to Forbes, amount to about US$27 million (S$37 million) per year.
