“São Cristóvão was my first football club. I even played in the junior category. At 14 years old, I was already training with the youth team and, sometimes, I even played with the juniors. I never ended up playing professionally, but it was an important bridge that opened doors for me,” said Ronaldo during the visit.
As he walked through the corridors and fields of the Ronaldo Nazário Stadium, the five-time world champion and three-time best player in the world remembered and highlighted the strategy that led him to choose Clube Cadete instead of looking for more renowned teams.
"I had the possibility of trying out for Flamengo. I even went, but the competition was huge. So, I preferred a smaller team, where I could stand out by facing the big clubs in state championships. My strategy worked because soon after, I aroused the interest of several teams and Cruzeiro accelerated the process."
Ronaldo also reflected on the importance of São Cristóvão in fulfilling his dream of playing football and said that, despite a successful career, he never imagined that he would see his name given to a stadium.
"I was just chasing my dream. I never intended to have a stadium named after me. But it's cool, it's a source of pride, it's really cool," said the Betfair ambassador.
The Brazilian National Team's number 9 also highlighted Betfair's initiative in allowing this meeting, recalling the difficulties of remaining competitive in the Brazilian football scene.
"It's a club that develops and needs help. Betfair understands that promoting the club that launched me into the world is a way of giving back. As I said, it's really cool to be here and see this partnership."
In addition to making the reunion happen, Betfair, one of the largest betting houses in the world, took the opportunity to pay tribute to the former player and inspire future generations who play for the club. A mural was created on the edge of the field, illustrating the number 9's iconic celebration, so that all athletes who pass by will remember that it was in São Cristóvão that the Phenomenon was born.
“We are very proud of the partnership we have built with Ronaldo over the last few years. Having the phenomenon as a Betfair ambassador is a huge milestone and we wanted to do something that would be significant not only for his fans, but also for him,” said Aidan Kilcoyne, Head of Sponsorship at Betfair.
“Bringing him back to the club that revealed him, being able to remember his story and also creating a tribute as strong as the mural were ways of thanking our eternal number 9 for the partnership,” Kilcoyne added. The activation was carried out with the support of the Octagon Brasil agency.
The star also left an inspiring message for the club’s young athletes that he met during this historic visit.
"Follow your dream and give it your all. No one will give you your dream as a gift. You need to have a vision for the future. It's not an easy career, as many people might imagine, because they see professional players, sometimes with fancy cars, houses, and beautiful women, but there's a huge sacrifice from the beginning of your career until you reach the top. So the message is this: go after it, train hard, give it your all and conquer your space."
One of the largest online sports betting providers in the world, Betfair is the official sponsor of Cruzeiro and Vasco da Gama. The company, founded in London in 2000, was a pioneer in offering peer-to-peer betting (Betfair Exchange) and manages a complete set of sports betting, entertainment events and online gaming products for more than four million customers over the age of 18 worldwide.
Thanks to its cutting-edge technology, the platform offers a wide range of products that allow you to bet with your own odds and odds offered by other users.
Betfair is licensed to operate online betting and other gaming in 19 countries, including Spain, Italy, Malta and the UK.
Source: GMB
