Cristiano Ronaldo Invests in Perplexity — What the CR7 Partnership Means for the AI Company

Image: Perplexity (Perplexity x CR7 announcement).

Quick summary

Cristiano Ronaldo has publicly confirmed an investment in Perplexity and joined the company as a global partner/brand ambassador. The announcement includes a product tie-in called “Perplexity x CR7” — an interactive hub that showcases moments from Ronaldo’s career and links fans with Perplexity’s tools. Perplexity and major outlets reported the deal and Perplexity published details on its official blog.

The official announcement

Perplexity posted an official announcement on its blog, describing a global partnership and the launch of a Perplexity x CR7 experience on the product that highlights Ronaldo’s career and provides fans with interactive material. The company positioned the collaboration as an effort to “inspire curiosity” among users and broaden Perplexity’s audience.

Ronaldo himself shared the news on social platforms, calling curiosity “a requirement for greatness” and saying he was “proud to announce my investment in Perplexity.” Several regional outlets and wire services echoed the company post and Ronaldo’s social messages.

What we know (and what Perplexity did not disclose)

Public coverage and Perplexity’s blog confirm the partnership and CR7-branded experience, but Perplexity’s post does not disclose the exact financial terms publicly. Multiple news outlets report the partnership is strategic — combining Perplexity’s technology with Ronaldo’s global audience.

Market reporting earlier in 2025 put Perplexity’s valuation in the high-single/low-double digit billions (various outlets cited figures in the ~$18–20 billion range after late funding rounds). Use caution: valuation figures can vary by source and timing, and neither Perplexity nor Ronaldo published new valuation numbers with this announcement.

What the Perplexity x CR7 hub does

Perplexity’s blog describes an interactive digital space that walks fans through highlights of Ronaldo’s career. Based on the company post and product screenshots, the hub blends curated content (video/photo highlights), timeline storytelling, and Perplexity’s answer engine to let users explore facts, stats and anecdotes using natural language queries. The experience is positioned as both a fan destination and a showcase for Perplexity’s conversational search capabilities.

Why Perplexity might want Ronaldo — and why he might invest

For Perplexity, a global sports icon offers immediate brand recognition and mainstream reach beyond tech circles. Ronaldo has hundreds of millions of followers worldwide — a potent channel to drive trial, awareness and mainstream adoption of Perplexity’s products. The partnership also gives Perplexity a culturally relevant use case for its interactive features (career timelines, stats queries, shareable moments).

From Ronaldo’s perspective, the investment follows a broader pattern of sports stars expanding into tech and content platforms. Ronaldo has previously referenced Perplexity publicly (he said he used the service to prepare a speech), suggesting a genuine product affinity rather than a purely commercial endorsement. The CR7 brand is a natural fit for fan-facing interactive content.

Perplexity in the AI landscape

Perplexity launched in 2022 as an “answer engine” and has drawn investor interest from major tech/VC players in recent rounds. The company positions itself as an alternative to chat-first assistants, emphasising citation, brevity and web-grounded answers. The CR7 partnership is the latest move to widen Perplexity’s mainstream footprint amid intense competition from larger players like OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and others.

Reactions and what to expect next

Early reaction from tech and sports media was broadly positive about the marketing value of the tie-up. Analysts will watch whether Perplexity converts Ronaldo’s audience into active users and whether other creators or celebrities follow suit. Expect Perplexity to promote the CR7 experience heavily in social channels and product onboarding flows.

For users curious to try the experience, Perplexity has placed the Perplexity x CR7 hub on its product site and social channels; the company also linked the collaboration to promotional materials and short-form videos.

Final thoughts

The Cristiano Ronaldo–Perplexity partnership is a high-profile example of sports and tech convergence. At minimum it delivers publicity and a branded use case; at best, it could accelerate mainstream adoption of Perplexity’s answer engine if the product hooks fans with genuinely useful and entertaining features.

As always, the commercial impact will depend on execution: product polish, onboarding funnels, localisation, and the ability to convert attention into habitual usage.

Sources: Perplexity blog; Economic Times; LiveMint; Investing.com; NDTV.