Daily Times

MADRID: Ronaldo, the former Brazil striker and current majority shareholder of Real Valladolid, has said he would be in favour of the club playing La Liga games outside of Spain. Ronaldo bought a 51-per cent stake in Valladolid in September, with the stated aim of establishing the team in the top flight after they were promoted last season. Staging fixtures abroad has become a controversial issue in Spanish football. La Liga were keen to hold a fixture between Barcelona and Girona in January in Miami but Barca have withdrawn their support due to a lack of consensus on the idea. Ronaldo, however, has said he would be in favour if Valladolid were asked. “I am in favour but our fans are the ones who decide,” said Ronaldo on Thursday. “If it’s good for the fans that we go to play a match abroad, to me it would seem a very interesting project for our club and our brand.” La Liga want to develop Spanish football in the United States but their plan has encountered strong opposition, primarily from the Spanish Football Federation and the players’ union, AFE. “Everything we do is for the progress of our project and Valladolid has to be recognised nationally and internationally,” added Ronaldo. The three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, who played for Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan, said he had looked in England as well as Spain for a potential club to buy. “I had been looking for a team to buy for two years,” Ronaldo said. “I studied the Spanish and English markets and some other markets and Valladolid came as a perfect gift.” He addded: “We have a simple challenge and that is to stay in the first division, it is our one and only goal this season.”

Published in Daily Times, December 14^th 2018.