By Samindra Kunti
November 24 – Legendary Brazilian striker Ronaldo has signed a deal with Ali Sports Group, a subsidiary of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, to develop state-of-the-art football academies in China.
The official Xinhua news agency reported that Ronaldo, who retired four years ago, is planning to build the ‘Ronaldo Academy’ in China with the first three schools projected for Beijing, Shanghai and Mianyang in Sichuan Province.
Ronaldo and Brazilian billionaire entrepeneur Carlos Wizard Martins founded the Ronaldo Academy with the aim of coaching six to 18-year-old football players. Earlier this year Ronaldo opened the first two branches of his academy in the USA and Qatar and he wants to expand operations to 100 football schools worldwide, including 30 in China.
“We have designed specialized curricula for the children for different ages,” said CEO of Ronaldo Football Co., Ltd. Paulo Swerts. The academy didn’t announce its tuition fees, but promised it will help poor children to get a football education.
Ronaldo himself grew up in one of Rio de Janeiro’s poorest neighborhoods. During his illustrious career, Ronaldo played for leading European clubs, including FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter and PSV Eindhoven. He won the 2002 FIFA World Cup with Brazil, becoming the tournament’s top scorer and defeating Germany 2-0 in the final.
After his football career Ronaldo transitioned into marketing his very own brand. He holds a 45% stake in the 9ine Sports and Entertainment company. The UK-based WPP Group, one of the world’s biggest advertising and marketing agencies, owns another 45% and Brazilian entrepreneur Marcus Buaiz has the remaining 10%.
9ine’s mission is to give clients support and consultancy to exploit the marketing opportunities surrounding sports in Brazil, which hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympic Games.
Ronaldo’s plans are ambitious. China have traditionally underperformed in football. But Guangzhou Evergrande, who recently won the AFC Champions League for a second time, suggest progress has been made at club level.
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