Cristiano Ronaldo's watch obsession has EXPLODED since his Saudi move as he dishes them out as gifts - but will he ever eclipse the £1.6MILLION timepiece from his Juventus days?

Cristiano Ronaldo has been obsessed with being the best player in the world for the last two decades.

The debate about whether he ranks above Lionel Messi in the all-time standings still divides opinion, but there can be no doubting his work ethic that has got him to the very top of the game.

The general consensus is Messi possesses more natural talent, but Ronaldo's mindset has made him an unstoppable force and helped him win five Ballon d'Or awards.

But, despite arguably working harder than anyone to remain one of the world's best footballers, Ronaldo has also ensured he has time for hobbies away from the pitch.

And his biggest off-field obsession is clear to all; Watches.

The global superstar is rarely spotted without one, and we're not talking about your run-of-the-mill watches either. Since moving to Saudi, the superstar has had a bit more time to dedicate to his favourite pastime, but it is far from a recent interest.

Ronaldo's interest in watches first became apparent during his time at Real Madrid when he was seen wearing a Grand Baguette Diamond. And how much does that cost, you ask? Just $1million (£800,000).

The watch contains a staggering 761 diamonds and covers five different time zones, so you know the time in your home location as well as New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Paris. 

When you factor in that there are reportedly only six of these watches in the world, it is no great surprise that it is so expensive.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that could not be topped, but he has also worn a watch even dearer than that.

The Portuguese forward rocked up to a Juventus press conference in 2018 with a Franck Muller Invisible Baguette Diamonds Imperial Tourbillon worth $2m (£1.6m) on his wrist.

The sparking silver watch has a total of 474 diamonds, and approximately 70 rubies to give it a red trim, making it almost impossible to miss.

It is a bold design, but that is nothing new for Ronaldo.

He has also shown off a one-of-a-kind Hublot before that has a black band and unique teardrop shape at the base of the wrist. Once again, this is priced at $1m (£800,000).

Ronaldo has also sported a £605,000 Rolex Daytona that stands out from the crowd with its gold wrist strap and pearl dial.

He splashed out another £392,000 on a separate Rolex - the Rolex GMT-Master II - which he wore to the Dubai International Sports Conference in 2019.

But it is not all about price when it comes to watches for the 38-year-old.

Before leaving for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Ronaldo sat down for a press conference wearing a watch that cost just £45,000.

It was still an eye-catching luxury item, though, with the rose gold watch containing 26 baguette-cut diamonds.  

It is a spectacular collection of watches that Ronaldo possesses, but he does not keep them all for himself.

Last month, he gifted former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou a luxury watch worth £87,000 ahead of his huge crossover clash with Britain's Tyson Fury.

Ngannou posted a video of himself opening the present on his social media and looked delighted with his gift.  

So, is this all just a personal hobby for Ronaldo, or is there something more to it?

Well, Ronaldo actually has a partnership with Swiss watchmaker Jacob & Co, which goes some way to explaining his desire to promote watches at any given opportunity.

They gifted him a £92,000 watch in May which has him celebrating on the clock face. 

As well as wearing the watches out in public, he can also be seen giving them publicity on his social media.

Only last weekend, he posted an image of himself wearing a Jacob & Co CR7 limited collection watch from a visit to one of their stores in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

That post has received well over 10 million likes on Instagram, meaning he is giving the company exactly the publicity they want.

Gifting another of his watches to one of the world's biggest sports stars in Ngannou will also only build the hype around the product.

And don't expect Ronaldo to ease off on his advertising of watches any time soon either.

He bought a stake in online watch marketplace Chrono24 earlier this year after investing an undisclosed amount in the company.

'As a long-term watch collector and regular user of Chrono24, it’s a pleasure for me to become a shareholder in the company now,” he said in a statement following the investment.

'Chrono24 unites millions of watch lovers from all around the world to share in their passion, together—that global unification is something I know well and am thrilled to be a part of.'

There can be little doubt that Ronaldo is a fan of watches having worn luxury brands including Hublot and Rolex over the years.

But when you add in that he also has a vested interest in multiple watch companies, it makes it easier to understand why it has become such a passion for him. 

His relentlessness on the pitch has become his trademark, and he is having another exceptional goalscoring season in Saudi Arabia after leaving Europe at the start of the year.

Now, he is making waves in the watch industry away from the pitch, and you would not bet against him continuing to make a major success of that when he finally hangs up his boots.