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Ronaldo joins ownership group of Fort Lauderdale Strikers

Ronaldo-Getty

By RYAN TOLMICH

Kaka is set to join Orlando City ahead of the 2015 MLS season, but he won’t be the only Brazilian legend set to alter Florida’s soccer landscape in the nar future.

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers announced Thursday that former Brazilian star Ronaldo has become a minority owner of the team. Ronaldo, who previously featured for Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and AC Milan during his playing days, joins an ownership group that consists of Brazilian investors Paulo Cesso, Ricardo Geromel, and Rafael Bertani.

“I could not be happier to be part of both the Strikers, a team with an extraordinary legacy, and the NASL, with its rich history and tremendous growth potential,” Ronaldo said. “I am confident that my experience, vision, and work will be instrumental in helping to elevate the Strikers, the NASL, and soccer in the U.S. to the highest level. South Florida, where there are so many soccer fans, is the ideal place for my Strikers.”

The 38-year-old went on to state his belief in NASL, which Ronaldo believes will become a major player in the growth of U.S. soccer.

“I will be very involved with the management of the team and have already started to make introductions that will certainly help us to turn the Strikers into a global powerhouse,” Ronaldo said. “There are no doubts that the beautiful game is growing exponentially in the U.S., and I guarantee you that the NASL will play a key role in the rise of professional soccer here.”

Ronaldo’s announcement comes just two days after his former Real Madrid teammate, Raul, was officially confirmed as a member of the NASL’s New York Cosmos.

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What do you think of Ronaldo’s investment in the Strikers? How will his presence help both the team and league grow in upcoming seasons?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I wish I could say this felt like anything besides weird b.s. What on earth does Ronaldo know about Ft. Lauderdale? I suspect his “minority investment” amounts to basically nothing, with protections to make sure he cannot lose a dime of the few thousand bucks he might have flopped down. Yawn.

    Reply
    • Nevertheless, his name alone will bring a lot of publicity to the Strikers and the NASL.

      As someone who just wants to see the game grow in the US, I can’t help but feel a little discouraged its the NASL and not MLS. Nothing against the NASL, but it seems doomed to failure to compete against MLS as the top division here. I can’t help but wish that the NASL would just work a deal with MLS to become the second division, and then grow it as far as possible. A solid entertaining second division that cooperates with the first division would do wonders for developing young talent here.

      Reply
      • The more likely scenario would be a AFL/NFL style merger at a later date. It seem the USL is already doing what you would like NASL to do.

    • The club has had a very Brazilian flavor to its management of the past decade or so. this is the same club that was at one time rebranded Miami FC and had Romario as a player/coach. (Some of the rich history – lol)

      Reply
  2. Pretty awkward move from NASL and him. He will probably be partying and hosting events in south beach 24-7 and probably he will bring his friend ronaldinho to NASL, given that he will never go to MLS.
    Either cosmos or strikers will take ronaldinho next year.

    Reply
    • You do realize NASL was the top division for something like 30 years right? I think it folded in the 80’s with MLS starting up in the 90s, and then NASL was revived a few years ago. So there is a rich history indeed. Much more so than MLS really. Just doesn’t currently carry the same weight as MLS.

      Reply
      • So if I start a new league with the same name as the US soccer league that existed in the 1910s-30s before folding, I suddenly have a hundred years of rich history?

      • well, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers have been around since 1977. I wouldn’t say they have a rich history, though. But, they do have a history.

      • NASL was around for 15 – 16 years the first time, MLS has already outlasted it. And the “rich” part of NASL’s history is maybe 5 years (’76 – ’81).

      • I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a PR rep write his statement.

        I speak Portuguese and he sounds fine to me in his native tongue. Maybe something gets lost in the translations you’ve read.

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