The former Brazilian footballer Ronaldo “El Fenómeno” sold his majority stake in Cruzeiro de Belo Horizontea club that returned to the first category of Brazilian soccer in its two years of management, the new owner announced this Monday.
The light blue team will be acquired by businessman Pedro Lourenço, owner of the BH supermarket chain.
“Ronaldo decided to leave the business. We have been talking for some time and we reached an agreement”Lourenço told reporters shortly before meeting with Ronaldo to refine details and “sign.”
Ronaldo and Lourenco They arrived at the team’s headquarters, Toca da Raposa II, in Belo Horizonte, according to images broadcast by the press.
The businessman will become the owner of 90% of the shares of the club’s Sociedad Anónima de Fútbol (SAF) for 600 million reais (about 117 million dollars), according to local media.
Ronaldo had bought his share 400 million reais.
The agreement seals the end of Ronaldo’s second life at Cruzeiro, one of Brazil’s traditional teams that has declined in recent years.
It was with the blue club of Belo Horizonte that he made his great professional debut in 1993.
When “El Fenómeno” became the majority shareholder in December 2021, the club was already experiencing financial and management problems.
This acquisition was possible through the SAF, a legal figure approved in 2021 in Brazil to stimulate the transformation of clubs into companies, providing financial consolidation advantages.
The arrival of Ronaldo, world champion with Brazil in 2002 and two-time Ballon d’Or winner (1997 and 2002), breathed new life into the club.
In his first season in charge, the also owner of Real Valladolid, from the Spanish first division, opted for quality but inexpensive players.
After playing three seasons in Serie B and flirting with the third division in 2020 and 2021, the ‘Raposa’ (fox, in Spanish) returned last year to the first category of Brazilian soccer.
The club was “well managed,” Lourenço said of Ronaldo, who in recent months has been heavily criticized by fans for disappointing results.
As a player for Cruzeiro, Ronaldo scored 56 goals in 58 games, which earned him a call-up to the 1994 World Cup, which he won without playing a single minute.
After being sold to PSV Eindhoven (1994-1996), he shone in Barcelona (1996-1997), Inter Milan (1997-2002), Real Madrid (2002-2007) and AC Milan (2007-2008).
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
