Once a sportsman, always a sportsman, and even if the silhouette is no longer exactly the same as during his prime years. Today aged 45, Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima aka Ronaldo is the happy majority shareholder of the Valladolid club, which finished the last season of LaLiga 2 (2nd Spanish division) in second position and therefore obtained its promotion in League.
A news that was quickly followed by a funny consequence for the former international auriverde “I promised that if we came back to La Liga, I would do it. Santiago’s road, he said on Friday, pointing to the famous pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. I will do it by bike because I can’t run. My wife and I will leave Valladolid on Sunday and cycle to Santiago de Compostela. »
About 450 kilometers and five stopovers
Something promised, something due: the Brazilian legend and his companion rode their electric bikes on the lawn of the José-Zorrilla Stadium, the grounds of Real Valladolid CF, for a journey of around 450 kilometers to Saint-Jacques-de -Compostela, the city located west of the Iberian Peninsula.
They will cover a few tens of kilometers each day until they see the two towers of the cathedral, in five days if all goes as planned after stops in Sahagún, León, Ponferrada, Monforte de Lemos and Lalín. “It will be magnificent, assured Ronaldo to the Spanish media. I know that I will suffer physically, but it will be an unforgettable experience”.
Ronaldo acquired a 51% stake in the Valladolid club in 2018 and has been its president ever since. At the end of the 2020-2021 season, the club is relegated to the Spanish second division. He therefore found it a short season later with, at its head, a president who confirms that he is ready for all excesses for his club.