Announced in May, the Fuel Like Ronaldo campaign is designed to help consumers incorporate athlete-inspired nutrition and lifestyle habits into their everyday routines. <\/p>\n
But for Herbalife, the initiative also reflects the evolution of a relationship that has grown far beyond a traditional endorsement agreement.<\/p>\n
A partnership that has evolved<\/p>\n
Herbalife first partnered with Ronaldo in 2013. Since then, the relationship has expanded into product innovation, digital wellness and personalized nutrition.<\/p>\n
The companies collaborated<\/a> on Herbalife24 CR7 Drive, a sports hydration product launched in 2015, and more recently Ronaldo took an ownership role<\/a> in Herbalife\u2019s Pro2col digital wellness platform.<\/p>\n \u201cOur partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo has remained strong for more than a decade because it is built on a genuine alignment around performance, nutrition, and wellness,\u201d Jennifer Guran, director of global sponsorships at Herbalife, told NutraIngredients. <\/p>\n The company\u2019s Fuel Like Ronaldo campaign is the latest expression of that strategy: the initiative aims to translate elite athlete nutrition and performance strategies into practical guidance for consumers, Guran explained. <\/p>\n \u201cAt its core, the partnership reflects a shared commitment to helping people improve their overall wellness,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n From sports nutrition to daily routines<\/p>\n The campaign also reflects an ongoing shift unfolding across the sports nutrition category. <\/p>\n Products once marketed primarily to competitive athletes are increasingly being positioned around energy, recovery, hydration and healthy aging. As a result, brands are looking for ways to make sports nutrition concepts more relevant to consumers who may never set foot in a gym or compete in organized sports.<\/p>\n Guran said Herbalife\u2019s work with more than 120 professional athletes and teams across 35 sports has helped shape that approach.<\/p>\n \u201cThat experience allows us to translate insights from elite sports into practical habits around hydration, balanced nutrition [and] recovery,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She pointed to consumer research gathered through the company\u2019s sports partnerships, which has pointed to a consistent theme: people are interested in athlete-inspired habits but want approaches that fit into busy schedules.<\/p>\n That insight helped shape the Fuel Like Ronaldo campaign, which is built around four pillars: prepare, perform, recover and repeat.<\/p>\n Reaching consumers through soccer<\/p>\n The campaign may be particularly relevant among Hispanic consumers, a demographic attracting growing attention from health and wellness brands.<\/p>\n According to Mintel\u2019s US Hispanic Consumers: Diet and Wellness Consumer Report 2025, Hispanic consumers experience higher rates of obesity than the general population and face significant sources of stress. Yet only around one-quarter actively take steps to improve their diet and wellness.<\/p>\n The report identified several barriers, including limited awareness of health risks, reduced access to healthcare and health education and, for roughly one-third of consumers, uncertainty about which positive lifestyle changes to pursue.<\/p>\n