Ronaldo Nazario: All my money is invested in Real Valladolid

In 2018, Ronaldo Nazario took 51 percent of the shares of Real Valladolid and became its president, a position he continues to hold. It was not the first club he tried to buy, nor was it easy once the transaction was sealed, as reported on the Brazilian podcast Flow Podcast. AS from Spain.

The MLS circled his head, but the powerful investment he had to make made him swerve. He looked at Spain and Portugal and finally decided on the Blanquivioleta team.

“I had a meeting with the president of the MLS And he shared his ideas with me: ‘You can win whatever you want, but if you don’t have $ 80 million for the franchise, you’re not going anywhere. That made me quit the project, ”explains O Fenómeno. After this, during the celebration of the 2018 World Cup in Russia he continued to break stone: “I searched a lot, in the Championship (English second division), but everything was very expensive. Then I started looking in Portugal and Spain, where prices were more affordable ”.

However, “I didn’t like it at all.” At that point came the call from his lawyer, who explained to him the possibility of taking over Real Valladolid: “I thought that Valladolid (in which the tricolor Gonzalo Plata shines) was only an hour and a half from Madrid and, moreover, it is a historic club in Spain ”.

Finally, in September, the negotiations crystallized and Ronaldo achieved his goal. The former striker explains that, when he acquired the club, he was immersed in the promotion phase to La Liga. “I bought a club from Segunda and got a club from Primera,” he recalls.

Difficulties

Of course, the path, once the agreement was closed, was thorny: “I got him for $ 33 million, but there was a debt of $ 28 million and he only had two players, since the rest were loaned.”

This did not prevent him from wanting to gain even more weight in the entity, buying shares that Carlos Suárez, his predecessor, still owned, until he accounted for 72.7 percent of the total.

At this time, Valladolid is fighting to return to the First Division. Asked if he has in mind to buy another team, Ronaldo is clear: “All my money is invested in Real Valladolid.” (D)