Amazing! From soccer players to team owners

Laura Viviana Guevara Muñoz September 14, 2018

264 4 minutes read

Whether for business or for nostalgia, an alternative to sports retirement is to invest in soccer teams. In LatinAmerican Post we tell you more about this

What do soccer players do when they retire? Some of them decide to become technical directors, others live on the advertising guidelines, others consolidate their brand and explore the world of modeling. However, there are those who decide to invest in soccer teams to help with debts or simply to make the team more renowned.

Leer en español: ¡Increíble! De jugadores de fútbol a dueños de equipos

Ronaldo Nazario

On September 3, the former soccer player, Ronaldo, was announced as the highest shareholder of the Spanish football club Real Valladolid. In June of this year, the team ascended to the first division, after four years.

The Brazilian acquired 51% of the shares and paid 30 million euros plus the debt the team had, as reported by El Espectador. However, it should not be forgotten that in 2014, the Brazilian had bought 25% of the shares of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers team, belonging to the North American soccer league.

In the press conference, Ronaldo said that his main objective with the purchase of the club was that "Real Valladolid consolidates in the First Division and continues to build illusions." In addition, the former athlete said that "with the union among all I am convinced that it will be very difficult to win. This new management will be defined by four words: competitiveness, transparency, revolution and social. With the union among all I am convinced that it will be very difficult to win."

The most outstanding statements of @Ronaldo in the press conference after his presentation as the largest shareholder, in less than a minute #pucela #RealValladolid pic.twitter.com/aLwhy4vX3j

– Real Valladolid CF (@realvalladolid) September 3, 2018

You can also read: They are not just soccer players! These are the athletes who have other professions in parallel

David Beckham

The former Real Madrid soccer player, Manchester United and Los Angeles Galaxy, bought in 2014 a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise for $ 25 million, as reported by El Milenio. Since that year, Beckham has tried to have everything ready for the creation of his team.

However, it was not until September 5 that the name and colors were officially presented. The team, called Inter Miami CF, is expected to debut in the US soccer league until 2020.

Four years ago, we dream of a soccer club.
Today, we're proud to announce the official crest of that club.
Join us on a journey that has only just begun.
THIS IS US. THIS IS MIAMI. #InterMiamiCF #ThisIsMiami #MLS pic.twitter.com/uw8QOA2lfG

– Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 5, 2018

"This is such a proud day for myself and for the entire team. It's an honor to announce the new name and crest to our fans. "- David Beckham, Miami MLS Owner and President of Football Operations #InterMiamiCF #ThisIsMiami #MLS pic.twitter.com/9LSeQa4V6W

– Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 5, 2018

Marcelo Salas

The former Chilean player, named as one of the best South American soccer players of the 20th century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, played for River Plate, University of Chile Juventus.

On January 30, 2008, he founded the Union Temuco club, a team that debuted that year in the third division of Chilean soccer, reaching third place. The goal of Salas was to take the team to the first division.

In 2013, the team merged with the club, Deportes Temuco. The main reasons were Sports Temuco was mired in a financial crisis and Union Temuco, despite having economic stability, did not have a big fan. This would be a single team under the name Club de Deportes Temuco.

The determination of Salas allowed the team to reach the First Division in the 2015-2016 season, and for the first time, they qualified for an international tournament, according to the official website of the club. Since 2013, Salas is the president of the team.

Historical triumph !!!! # VamosPorMás #CopaSudamericana #VamosTemuco pic.twitter.com/yL3AfXQe3A

– Sports Club Temuco (@Temucooficial) May 10, 2018

The legends of Manchester City

The 92nd class of Manchester City decided to buy the English team in eighth division Salford City in 2014. Gary and Phil Neville, Giggs, Scholes and Nicky Butt each have 10% of the team. While the remaining 50% is at the hands of Singapore businessman Peter Lim, who also owns 82% of the Spanish club Valencia FC.

Under the supervision of the class of '92, the team has gradually gone up the steps within the pyramid system that manages the English league, before reaching the first division, also known as the Premier League. In the 2017-2018 season, the team managed to win the National League North (corresponding to the sixth division), ascending to the National League (fifth division).

After matches, we sit 6th in @TheNationalLge table!

Three consecutive clean sheets
Unbeaten in seven matches #WeAreSalford pic.twitter.com/aT6P79xZwj

– Salford City FC (@SalfordCityFC) September 8, 2018

Paolo Maldini

The former Italian soccer player, who retired in 2009 and played in great teams of the Italian league, since 2015 is co-founder and co-owner of the Miami Football team. This is a team that plays in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second division of soccer in the United States.

Currently, the club is on standby due to the cancellation of the NASL because it refused a preliminary requirement to avoid the loss of its Division II status, as stated on the official website.

Meanwhile, Maldini was named Director of Strategic Development at AC Milan, a team with which he debuted in 1985. Before this, the club president added "Paolo's experience and leadership will be very useful for the club, as well as his passion and its energy ", as indicated by El Universo.