Ronaldo agrees to sell majority stake in Spanish club Real Valladolid
Former striker Ronaldo has agreed to sell his stake in Spanish club Real Valladolid but the deal has yet to be confirmed by the Spanish government's CSD authority.
Ignite, a consortium headed by businessman Gabriel Solares and comprised of investors from the United States and Mexico, has agreed to buy Ronaldo's majority stake in the club, who were relegated from La Liga this season.
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Solares was previously president of Mexican club Queretaro, but was among the club's board of directors who received five-year bans from Liga MX in 2022. As reported by ESPN at the time, the bans related to fan violence Queretaro's match against visiting Atlas at Estadio Corregidora, which had left 26 injured.
Tel Aviv-based investment fund Ben Oldman Partners is also involved in the deal — it would receive a percentage of Ronaldo's current 88 per cent stake of Valladolid, equal to the money the fund is still owed from helping finance the Brazilian's initial takeover of the club in September 2018.
Speaking to El Norte de Castilla, Solares highlighted Valladolid's 'potential for growth' alongside its existing 'resources and characteristics to establish itself as a top division club'.
Solares added that he would seek to include locals from Valladolid on the new-look board, should his acquisition be completed: 'We must respect the city and give prominence to people who know the area.'
Ronaldo's time in charge of Valladolid has been turbulent, with relegations from La Liga in 2021, 2023 and 2025, interspersed with promotions in 2022 and 2024.
Ronaldo's sale of the club was announced on Friday by Valladolid but few details were made public. On Tuesday the club sent a letter to their fans asking for 'patience' and 'understanding' as the deal was concluded.
The letter was signed by club director general Luis Garcia. Ronaldo himself has not spoken about the sale, and his staff declined to comment when contacted by The Athletic.
The 48-year-old former Brazil international, who starred in La Liga for both Barcelona and Real Madrid, became the majority shareholder of Valladolid in September 2018 after purchasing a 51 per cent stake in the Spanish side.
In December 2021, the former Ballon d'Or winner bought a controlling 90 per cent stake at Cruzeiro, the Brazilian second-division club where he started his career, for $70million (£62.2m).
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In April 2024, Ronaldo sold his stake in Cruzeiro, who returned to Brazil's Serie A under his ownership, to the BPW Sports company, led by Pedro Lourenco — owner of the supermarket chain Supermercados BH.
Valladolid have picked up just 16 points from their 37 league matches this term and were relegated from Spain's top flight with five matchdays remaining.
The club finished 16 points behind second-from-bottom Las Palmas, who have also been relegated, and finished the campaign on a goal difference of -64.
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