Ronaldo has been in the process of buying the newly promoted club since the end of last season and appeared to reach a conclusive agreement last month.
Now, at a joint press conference at Valladolid town hall, chairman Carlos Suarez has introduced Ronaldo after the 2002 World Cup winner personally bought a 51% stake.
“The arrival of Ronaldo puts Real Valladolid on the map and allows the club to take a leap of quality. I welcome you to your home,” Suarez said as he addressed the media and welcomed the Brazilian.
“I have gone through many stages in my training in football to prepare myself. Football is a passion,” Ronaldo himself said.
“This new management will be defined by four words: competitiveness, transparency, revolution and social,” he added.
“We will count on our friend Carlos Suarez and keep the current staff. We want to form the best possible team to compete. There will be a clear social content in all our actions.”
Valladolid returned to Spain’s top flight this season after winning the Segunda Division playoffs in May. The club has spent much of the 21st century yo-yo-ing between the first and second tier, with their last top half La Liga finish coming back in 1999/00 when they placed eighth.
Despite now owning a majority of the club, Ronaldo has agreed that president Carlos Suarez will remain in his position, while the World Cup winner will take on the role of president of the board of directors.
The club’s new majority owner was unveiled on Monday at a press conference where he outlined his plans for the future of the club.
@Ronaldo
“We want to grow and reach where our will allows us,” Ronaldo said. “I will use four words to define our politics: Competitiveness, Transparency, Revolution and Social. I assure you that you will find me as a lover of Castilla-Leon, Valladolid and Real Valladolid.”
Suarez is delighted to welcome Ronaldo on board, confirming that negotiations took just over a month to finalise. The club president believes the addition of the former Real Madrid striker will help put Valladolid “on the map” while also indicating that it was not merely a financial decision to sell to the Brazilian.
“It was not an economic issue, but now Valladolid can play in other leagues, Ronaldo puts us on the map now. I thought it was the best for the club, and that’s what I bet, you’ll see that it’s the ideal option for Valladolid.”
Since retiring from football in 2011, the three-time Fifa World Player of the Year winner, Ronaldo took an active interest in other sports and owning teams, including motorsport group A1 Team Brazil and sports marketing firm 9INE.
He also founded the Ronaldo Academy, a youth football school in the United States and China.
During his playing career, he played over 500 games for teams such as PSV, Barcelona, Real Madrid and both Milan clubs. He also scored 62 goals in 98 appearances for Brazil, winning the World Cup in 1994 and 2002.
Despite now owning a majority of the club, Ronaldo has agreed that president Carlos Suarez will remain in his position, while the World Cup winner will take on the role of president of the board of directors.
“We want to grow and reach where our will allows us,” Ronaldo said. “I will use four words to define our politics: Competitiveness, Transparency, Revolution and Social. I assure you that you will find me as a lover of Castilla-Leon, Valladolid and Real Valladolid.”
Suarez is delighted to welcome Ronaldo on board, confirming that negotiations took just over a month to finalise. The club president believes the addition of the former Real Madrid striker will help put Valladolid “on the map” while also indicating that it was not merely a financial decision to sell to the Brazilian.
“The deal was closed on Wednesday,” Suarez announced. “Ronaldo acquired 51% of the shares in a personal capacity. It was at the end of July when we started talking.
“It was not an economic issue, but now Valladolid can play in other leagues, Ronaldo puts us on the map now. I thought it was the best for the club, and that’s what I bet, you’ll see that it’s the ideal option for Valladolid.”
Since retiring from football in 2011, the three-time Fifa World Player of the Year winner, Ronaldo took an active interest in other sports and owning teams, including motorsport group A1 Team Brazil and sports marketing firm 9INE.
He also owns shares in North American Soccer League club Fort Lauderdale Strikers and founded the Ronaldo Academy, a youth football school in the United States and China.
During his playing career, he played over 500 games for teams such as PSV, Barcelona, Real Madrid and both Milan clubs. He also scored 62 goals in 98 appearances for Brazil, winning the World Cup in 1994 and 2002.
Despite now owning a majority of the club, Ronaldo has agreed that president Carlos Suarez will remain in his position, while the World Cup winner will take on the role of president of the board of directors.
The club’s new majority owner was unveiled on Monday at a press conference where he outlined his plans for the future of the club.
“We want to grow and reach where our will allows us,” Ronaldo said. “I will use four words to define our politics: Competitiveness, Transparency, Revolution and Social. I assure you that you will find me as a lover of Castilla-Leon, Valladolid and Real Valladolid.”
Suarez is delighted to welcome Ronaldo on board, confirming that negotiations took just over a month to finalise. The club president believes the addition of the former Real Madrid striker will help put Valladolid “on the map” while also indicating that it was not merely a financial decision to sell to the Brazilian.
“It was not an economic issue, but now Valladolid can play in other leagues, Ronaldo puts us on the map now. I thought it was the best for the club, and that’s what I bet, you’ll see that it’s the ideal option for Valladolid.”
Since retiring from football in 2011, the three-time Fifa World Player of the Year winner, Ronaldo took an active interest in other sports and owning teams, including motorsport group A1 Team Brazil and sports marketing firm 9INE.
He also owns shares in North American Soccer League club Fort Lauderdale Strikers and founded the Ronaldo Academy, a youth football school in the United States and China.
During his playing career, he played over 500 games for teams such as PSV, Barcelona, Real Madrid and both Milan clubs. He also scored 62 goals in 98 appearances for Brazil, winning the World Cup in 1994 and 2002.
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁoˈnawdu ˈlwiʒ nɐˈzaɾju dʒ ˈɫĩmɐ]; born 18 September 1976),[2] commonly known as Ronaldo, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Popularly dubbed O Fenômeno (“The Phenomenon”), he is widely considered to be one of the greatest football players of all time.[3][4][5][6] In his prime, he was known for his dribbling at speed, feints, and clinical finishing. At his best in the 1990s, Ronaldo starred at club level for Cruzeiro, PSV, Barcelona, and Inter Milan. His moves to Spain and Italy made him only the second player, after Diego Maradona, to break the world transfer record twice, all before his 21st birthday. At age 23, he had scored over 200 goals for club and country. After almost three years of inactivity due to serious knee injuries and recuperation, Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2002, which was followed by spells at A.C. Milan and Corinthians.
Having suffered further injuries, Ronaldo retired from professional football in 2011. As a multi-functional striker who brought a new dimension to the position, he has been the outstanding influence for a generation of strikers that have followed. Post-retirement, Ronaldo has continued his work as a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador, a position to which he was appointed in 2000. He served as an ambassador for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo became the majority owner of La Liga club Real Valladolid in September 2018 after buying 51% of the club’s shares.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Regional League |
Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cruzeiro | 1993 | Série A | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 20 | |
| 1994 | — | 18 | 22 | — | 8 | 2 | — | 26 | 24 | |||||
| Total | 14 | 12 | 20 | 22 | — | 12 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 44 | |||
| PSV | 1994–95 | Eredivisie | 33 | 30 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | — | 36 | 35 | ||
| 1995–96 | 13 | 12 | — | 3 | 1 | 5 | 6 | — | 21 | 19 | ||||
| Total | 46 | 42 | — | 4 | 3 | 7 | 9 | — | 57 | 54 | ||||
| Barcelona | 1996–97 | La Liga | 37 | 34 | — | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 49 | 47 | |
| Total | 37 | 34 | — | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 49 | 47 | |||
| Inter Milan | 1997–98 | Serie A | 32 | 25 | — | 4 | 3 | 11 | 6 | — | 47 | 34 | ||
| 1998–99 | 19 | 14 | — | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 15 | |||
| 1999–00 | 7 | 3 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 3 | |||||
| 2000–01 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 2001–02 | 10 | 7 | — | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 16 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 68 | 49 | — | 8 | 3 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 99 | 59 | |||
| Real Madrid | 2002–03 | La Liga | 31 | 23 | — | 1 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 44 | 30 | |
| 2003–04 | 32 | 24 | — | 5 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 48 | 31 | |||
| 2004–05 | 34 | 21 | — | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | — | 45 | 24 | ||||
| 2005–06 | 23 | 14 | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 27 | 15 | ||||
| 2006–07 | 7 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | 13 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 127 | 83 | — | 11 | 4 | 36 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 177 | 104 | |||
| A.C. Milan | 2006–07 | Serie A | 14 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 7 | ||||
| 2007–08 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | ||||||
| Total | 20 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 20 | 9 | ||||||
| Corinthians | 2009 | Série A | 20 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 3 | — | — | 38 | 23 | ||
| 2010 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 3 | — | 7 | 3 | — | 27 | 12 | ||||
| 2011 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 31 | 18 | 21 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 35 | ||
| Career total | 343 | 247 | 41 | 33 | 35 | 19 | 93 | 49 | 6 | 4 | 518 | 352 | ||
- Other – Recopa Sudamericana, Supercopa de España, Intercontinental Cup, & UEFA Cup Play-Off (at Coppa Italia)
International
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 4 | 1 |
| 1995 | 6 | 3 |
| 1996 | 4 | 5 |
| 1997 | 20 | 15 |
| 1998 | 10 | 5 |
| 1999 | 10 | 7 |
| 2000 | – | – |
| 2001 | – | – |
| 2002 | 12 | 11 |
| 2003 | 8 | 3 |
| 2004 | 11 | 6 |
| 2005 | 5 | 1 |
| 2006 | 7 | 5 |
| 2007 | – | – |
| 2008 | – | – |
| 2009 | – | – |
| 2010 | – | – |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 98 | 62 |
International goals
Honours
Club
Cruzeiro[6]
- Campeonato Mineiro (1): 1994
- Copa do Brasil (1): 1993
PSV Eindhoven[6]
- KNVB Cup (1): 1996
- Johan Cruijff-schaal (1): 1996
Barcelona[6]
- Copa del Rey (1): 1997
- UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (1): 1997
- Supercopa de España (1): 1996
Inter Milan[6]
Real Madrid[6]
- La Liga (2): 2002–03, 2006–07
- Intercontinental Cup (1): 2002
- Supercopa de España (1): 2003
Corinthians[6]
- Campeonato Paulista (1): 2009
- Copa do Brasil (1): 2009
International
Brazil[6]
- FIFA World Cup (2): 1994, 2002
- FIFA World Cup (1): Runners-up (2nd Place) 1998
- Copa América (2): 1997, 1999
- Copa América (1): Runners-up (2nd Place) 1995
- FIFA Confederations Cup (1): 1997
- Summer Olympic Games (1): Bronze Medal (3rd Place) 1996
Individual
- Supercopa Libertadores Top Scorer (1): 1993–94[199]
- Supercopa Libertadores Team of The Year (1): 1993-04[199]
- Campeonato Mineiro Top Scorer (1): 1993–94[199]
- Campeonato Mineiro Team of The Year (1): 1994[199]
- Eredivisie Top Scorer (1): 1994–95[19]
- FIFA World Player of the Year (3): 1996, 1997, 2002[6]
- Trofeo EFE La Liga Ibero-American Player of the Year (2): 1996–97, 2002–03[200]
- Pichichi Trophy (2) 1996–97, 2003–04[22]
- European Golden Boot (1): 1996–97[201]
- World Soccer magazine World Player of the Year (3): 1996, 1997, 2002[202]
- Don Balón Award La Liga Foreign Player of the Year (1): 1996–97[203]
- Copa América Final Most Valuable Player (1): 1997[199]
- Copa América Most Valuable Player (1): 1997[204]
- FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Boot (1): 1997[205]
- FIFA Confederations Cup All-Star Team (1): 1997
- UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final Most Valuable Player (1): 1997
- Copa América All-Star Team (2): 1997, 1999[199]
- IFFHS World’s Top Goal Scorer of the Year (1): 1997[206]
- Bravo Award (2): 1997, 1998[207]
- Onze d’Or (2): 1997, 2002[208]
- Ballon d’Or (2): 1997, 2002[209]
- UNICEF European Footballer of the Season: 1996–97[210]
- European Sports Media ESM Team of the Year (2) 1996–97, 1997–98[211]
- FIFA XI (2): 1997, 1998[212]
- Serie A Footballer of the Year (1): 1997–98[30]
- Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year (1): 1997–98[213]
- UEFA Cup Final Most Valuable Player (1): 1998[214]
- UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (1): 1997–98[215]
- UEFA Club Best Forward (1): 1997–98[215]
- FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (1): 1998[216]
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (2): 1998, 2002[99]
- FIFA World Cup top assist provider (1): 1998[217]
- Inter Milan Player Of The Year: 1998[218]
- Copa América Top Scorer (1): 1999[199]
- FIFA World Cup Golden Boot (1): 2002[219]
- FIFA World Cup Silver Ball (1): 2002[219]
- FIFA World Cup Final Most Valuable Player (1): 2002[220]
- Intercontinental Cup Man of the Match (1): 2002[221]
- UEFA Team of the Year (1): 2002[222]
- BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year (1): 2002[223]
- Laureus World Sports Awards Comeback of the Year (1): 2003[104]
- FIFA 100 (2004)[224]
- FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot (1): 2006[225]
- Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame: 2006[226]
- Golden Foot award (1): 2006[227]
- France Football magazine’s all-time starting XI: 2007[199]
- Association of Football Statisticians (AFS) Top-100 Players of All Time: 2007. #2[228]
- Sports Illustrated Team of the Decade: 2009[229]
- Real Madrid Hall of Fame[230]
- Marca Leyenda: 2011[231]
- L’Équipe‘s top 50 South-American footballers in history: #5[232]
- Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2015[233]
- International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) Legends[234]
- Inter Milan Hall of Fame: 2018[235]
