GOAT on the menu? Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafa Nadal go into business

Suraj Radia

• 15 Mar 2023 12:08 GMT
• 2 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved just about everything in football and the Portuguese legend is set to link up with tennis superstar Rafa Nadal to take over another industry by opening a restaurant together.

The pair have known each other since the early stages of their respective careers and are now set to launch Tatel, a Spanish restaurant in the heart of Valencia.

Nadal’s investment group, Mabel Capital, previously partnered with Ronaldo and NBA icon Pau Gasol to open branches of Tatel and its affiliate Toto in Ibiza, Beverley Hills, Doha and Madrid.

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A location is also set to be opened in Dubai in Q3 of 2023 and the venue will provide live music and entertainment to diners.

Ronaldo and Nadal linked up to open the first Tatel in Madrid in 2014, which specialised in Spanish Mediterranean cuisine, while Toto represents Italian fine dining, having launched in the same city in 2021.

Nadal is a long-time Real Madrid fan and met Ronaldo during the Al-Nassr forward’s time in Spain, when he played for Los Blancos between 2009 and 2018.

Ronaldo and Nadal ‘colleagues rather than ‘friends’

However, despite their collaborations and long-time relationship, Nadal, insisted their bond was one of mutual respect rather than friendship.

Speaking in 2020, Nadal said: “Friend is a very strong word for me. My friends are the Manacor kids I grew up with. Ronaldo is a compañero, a colleague. I've met him several times, I respect him.”

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Nadal has also spoken of his Madrid fandom despite growing up in Mallorca and having an uncle that played for Barcelona, insisting his entire family have always supported Real.

“My father and the whole family have always been Madrid fans,” he said. “When my uncle played for Barca, we obviously cheered for him. But then he returned to Mallorca, and there we split up: someone stayed with Barcelona; others have found Madrid again.”