Ronaldo nearly bought Premier League side

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 16 Oct 2022 09:13 BST
• 3 min read

The Premier League has always been familiar with a Ronaldo in Cristiano, but the ‘real’ one has revealed just how close he was to becoming part of English football's history.

The former Brazil legend spent his playing career turning out for sides in Spain, Italy and the Netherlands before looking to own a club after retiring and Ronaldo admitted he had considered buying a team in London.

Ronaldo purchased Spanish side Real Valladolid in 2018 and Cruzeiro in Brazil but told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that he was also close to buying Brentford, however he was ultimately put off by the asking price.

Ronaldo said: “Before I bought Real Valladolid, I was looking around in Europe and actually was living in London for three years, and was looking at many opportunities in London.

“I think it was a mistake not doing it, but for now it's too expensive. I was very close to buying Brentford five or six years ago. I was very close to doing the deal.

“They are doing very well... but now I have two clubs, two problems, and I don't have any peace at weekends!”

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Ronaldo still open to buying English club

Ronaldo had previously spoken about the prospect of purchasing a club in England, having also been in contact with Charlton in the past, and told FourFourTwo that he was still keen on the idea.

He said: “There were plenty of opportunities in England, and still are, but since the local leagues are probably the most organised and valuable in the world, the clubs there end up having a far higher valuation than anywhere else in Europe. It’s really interesting. 

“Brentford were one of the teams offered to me: I got to talk with them and understand the business plan, and it was very nice. 

"There were also clubs in the third tier with massive potential – Charlton, a London side with big tradition, approached me as well. But these were all opportunities requiring investment of more than £50m.

“In the end, I decided to purchase Valladolid for a cheaper price and keep the quality of life that I have in Madrid.

“The English league remains a goal for me in the near future, because when I first started at Valladolid, my idea was to expand the business and try to build a network of teams.

“Obviously, since I was putting money into Valladolid from my own pocket, I didn’t possess the liquidity to invest in other teams simultaneously – and, to be honest, another project at that point would have made things more complicated. But I’m extremely happy with how things are going around here.”