Ronaldo insists he is getting used to life behind the scenes after taking the reins at Real Valladolid – and has no time for being stuck in the past.
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, long before Cristiano was on the scene, Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was football’s golden boy. He starred for Brazil in three World Cups and notching 62 goals, including a famous brace in the 2002 World Cup final win over Germany.
At club level the ‘real’ Ronaldo’s prolific goal scoring made him the most sought after striker in the world. Having started his career with Cruzeiro, the then teenager 30-goal season for PSV caught the eye of Barcelona’s Bobby Robson in 1996.
Following a world record fee in the region of £15 million, Ronaldo – famous for his strength, pace and ability to round the goalkeeper – netted 34 goals in 37 games.
Despite reoccurring knee injuries that plagued his career, the goals continued to pour in – wherever he was playing. The Brazilian had spells in Italy with both Inter and AC Milan, either side of 127 appearances for Real Madrid between 2002 and 2007.
“I had some major injuries which punished me but overall I am happy an satisfied with all the achievements in my career. I have no regrets,” said the three-time Ballon d’Or winner, speaking at the 13th Dubai International Sports Conference.
“Football is full of challenges and now I am a president of a football team and that’s a new challenge. I’m still motivated to do well and I want to face the challenges successfully, I want to live the football passion over and over again.”
His latest role in football is as chairman of La Liga side Real Valladolid, after securing a 51 per cent stake of the club in September.
And he believes the key to their success lies in unearthing local talent in the north west of Spain.
“We have to invest in young players in the city and look for new ways to train the players in our region,” he told the room at Madinat Jumeirah. “There is a lot to do and we have a lot of hard work ahead but I am enjoying the challenge.”