# Ronaldo and Real Valladolid: with the magic gone, all that’s left is a crisis | Sid Lowe

## Main Content

A at the end of training on Friday, as Real Valladolid’s players left the annex next to the José Zorrilla stadium and headed off under grey skies, rain preparing to roll in, a surprise waited for them. It was the final session before the weekend their coach said would show what hopes they had, an opportunity not so much to save their season as still have one, and there was he was: the Original Ronaldo, in the flesh. He came to encourage them, he said, going round the dressing room reminding them what it means to be committed, always. “Thank you for accompanying the team before the Valencia game!” the club tweeted, exclamation included. The Brazilian, after all, is one of the greatest footballers ever.

He is also their owner and president. But still this was unexpected: they hadn’t seen him for months and didn’t think they would see him now either. He had been in the directors’ box for Valladolid’s first game of the season, which they had won, and when they played Real Madrid at the Bernabéu the following week too, which they hadn’t. Since then, as they watched their team slide towards the second division, abandoned to an increasingly inevitable fate, he hadn’t been back. “Where is the president?” supporters had sung. One day in November, while they were playing Getafe, he was playing tennis. They knew that because he had broadcast it on Twitch. So the following week, they set up a game in the stands, giant foam rackets hitting a ball back and forth.



*Real Valladolid owner Ronaldo poses at the Fifa Best awards in 2024. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters*

Mostly, they have sung for him to “go home”, when he already was. He had been at  in midweek, making that as many Real Madrid matches as Valladolid games he has been to this season, and more at the Bernabéu than at the Zorrilla. He had better things to do. Like joining Kaká on court. And becoming president of his country’s FA, because he had done _such_ a good job with his club. And, well, just about anything else, because actually being with his team isn’t much fun. But then suddenly on Friday , telling them all about commitment and sacrifice, the demands, the pride and honour needed to defend a historic shirt: “The only way to compete in the top flight,” as the club’s communique had it.

Bottom of the table, time slipping away and the abyss opening beneath them, they had to try something. Maybe they thought this was like that time Rodrygo touched Ronaldo’s legs, hoping that some of his magic . The following afternoon Valladolid faced Valencia, the last of the teams in the relegation zone, safety eight points away. They had not won in eight but perhaps here was an opportunity, something to cling to, however precarious. “The situation is critical for both of us; the result will show us what chances we have,” the head coach Álvaro Rubio said. Ronaldo had come to tell them how important it was.

And then he hopped in his car and headed home, 150km south.

Maybe he watched on telly but the next day Ronaldo – like Peter Lim’s son Kim Liat, Valencia’s new president – wasn’t at Mestalla to see his side lose for the 19th time this season. He wasn’t there to see them concede after seven minutes, to see them handed a lifeline just before half-time, Giorgi Mamardashvili gifting Juanmi Latasa an equaliser, or to see them let go again. Or to console Raúl Moro as he sobbed at full time. He wasn’t on hand to head to the dressing room and remind them of their obligations, not this time, nor to face the yellow flags high in the stands as his team slipped 11 points adrift, as good as gone with 11 games left.

Beaten 2-1 thanks to Umar Sadiq’s winner, this was Valladolid’s seventh defeat in eight, a single point secured from the last 24 available. “Their second goal killed us,” Latasa said, but it has been over for weeks. For the first time in 20 games, when the whistle went Valencia had pulled out of the relegation zone; Valladolid had become resigned to the probability that they never will.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When Ronaldo bought a 50% share in the club for €30m in 2018 – a share he increased to 82% last summer – he said that the “normal” outcome was that they would be “in the Champions League in five seasons”. To begin with there really was a buzz about the place, an energy. And if the players weren’t as good as he was – he tells the story of telling Keko Gontan how to stay cool in front of goal, only for the striker  “but you’re _Il Fenomeno_” – he enjoyed spending time with them, being part of it all. That early enthusiasm, though, has long gone, and so mostly has he.

## Credits



*Sid Lowe

Mon 10 Mar 2025 11.52 EDT

Last modified on Mon 10 Mar 2025 17.21 EDT

## Review

A at the end of training on Friday, as Real Valladolid’s players left the annex next to the José Zorrilla stadium and headed off under grey skies, rain preparing to roll in, a surprise waited for them. It was the final session before the weekend their coach said would show what hopes they had, an opportunity not so much to save their season as still have one, and there was he was: the Original Ronaldo, in the flesh. He came to encourage them, he said, going round the dressing room reminding them what it means to be committed, always. “Thank you for accompanying the team before the Valencia game!” the club tweeted, exclamation included. The Brazilian, after all, is one of the greatest footballers ever.

He is also their owner and president. But still this was unexpected: they hadn’t seen him for months and didn’t think they would see him now either. He had been in the directors’ box for Valladolid’s first game of the season, which they had won, and when they played Real Madrid at the Bernabéu the following week too, which they hadn’t. Since then, as they watched their team slide towards the second division, abandoned to an increasingly inevitable fate, he hadn’t been back. “Where is the president?” supporters had sung. One day in November, while they were playing Getafe, he was playing tennis. They knew that because he had broadcast it on Twitch. So the following week, they set up a game in the stands, giant foam rackets hitting a ball back and forth.



*Real Valladolid owner Ronaldo poses at the Fifa Best awards in 2024. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters*

Mostly, they have sung for him to “go home”, when he already was. He had been at  in midweek, making that as many Real Madrid matches as Valladolid games he has been to this season, and more at the Bernabéu than at the Zorrilla. He had better things to do. Like joining Kaká on court. And becoming president of his country’s FA, because he had done _such_ a good job with his club. And, well, just about anything else, because actually being with his team isn’t much fun. But then suddenly on Friday , telling them all about commitment and sacrifice, the demands, the pride and honour needed to defend a historic shirt: “The only way to compete in the top flight,” as the club’s communique had it.

And then he hopped in his car and headed home, 150km south.

Maybe he watched on telly but the next day Ronaldo – like Peter Lim’s son Kim Liat, Valencia’s new president – wasn’t at Mestalla to see his side lose for the 19th time this season. He wasn’t there to see them concede after seven minutes, to see them handed a lifeline just before half-time, Giorgi Mamardashvili gifting Juanmi Latasa an equaliser, or to see them let go again. Or to console Raúl Moro as he sobbed at full time. He wasn’t on hand to head to the dressing room and remind them of their obligations, not this time, nor to face the yellow flags high in the stands as his team slipped 11 points adrift, as good as gone with 11 games left.

Beaten 2-1 thanks to Umar Sadiq’s winner, this was Valladolid’s seventh defeat in eight, a single point secured from the last 24 available. “Their second goal killed us,” Latasa said, but it has been over for weeks. For the first time in 20 games, when the whistle went Valencia had pulled out of the relegation zone; Valladolid had become resigned to the probability that they never will.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When Ronaldo bought a 50% share in the club for €30m in 2018 – a share he increased to 82% last summer – he said that the “normal” outcome was that they would be “in the Champions League in five seasons”. To begin with there really was a buzz about the place, an energy. And if the players weren’t as good as he was – he tells the story of telling Keko Gontan how to stay cool in front of goal, only for the striker  “but you’re _Il Fenomeno_” – he enjoyed spending time with them, being part of it all. That early enthusiasm, though, has long gone, and so mostly has he.

## Credits



*Sid Lowe

Mon 10 Mar 2025 11.52 EDT

Last modified on Mon 10 Mar 2025 17.21 EDT

## Commentary

A at the end of training on Friday, as Real Valladolid’s players left the annex next to the José Zorrilla stadium and headed off under grey skies, rain preparing to roll in, a surprise waited for them. It was the final session before the weekend their coach said would show what hopes they had, an opportunity not so much to save their season as still have one, and there was he was: the Original Ronaldo, in the flesh. He came to encourage them, he said, going round the dressing room reminding them what it means to be committed, always. “Thank you for accompanying the team before the Valencia game!” the club tweeted, exclamation included. The Brazilian, after all, is one of the greatest footballers ever.

He is also their owner and president. But still this was unexpected: they hadn’t seen him for months and didn’t think they would see him now either. He had been in the directors’ box for Valladolid’s first game of the season, which they had won, and when they played Real Madrid at the Bernabéu the following week too, which they hadn’t. Since then, as they watched their team slide towards the second division, abandoned to an increasingly inevitable fate, he hadn’t been back. “Where is the president?” supporters had sung. One day in November, while they were playing Getafe, he was playing tennis. They knew that because he had broadcast it on Twitch. So the following week, they set up a game in the stands, giant foam rackets hitting a ball back and forth.



*Real Valladolid owner Ronaldo poses at the Fifa Best awards in 2024. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters*

Mostly, they have sung for him to “go home”, when he already was. He had been at  in midweek, making that as many Real Madrid matches as Valladolid games he has been to this season, and more at the Bernabéu than at the Zorrilla. He had better things to do. Like joining Kaká on court. And becoming president of his country’s FA, because he had done _such_ a good job with his club. And, well, just about anything else, because actually being with his team isn’t much fun. But then suddenly on Friday , telling them all about commitment and sacrifice, the demands, the pride and honour needed to defend a historic shirt: “The only way to compete in the top flight,” as the club’s communique had it.

And then he hopped in his car and headed home, 150km south.

Maybe he watched on telly but the next day Ronaldo – like Peter Lim’s son Kim Liat, Valencia’s new president – wasn’t at Mestalla to see his side lose for the 19th time this season. He wasn’t there to see them concede after seven minutes, to see them handed a lifeline just before half-time, Giorgi Mamardashvili gifting Juanmi Latasa an equaliser, or to see them let go again. Or to console Raúl Moro as he sobbed at full time. He wasn’t on hand to head to the dressing room and remind them of their obligations, not this time, nor to face the yellow flags high in the stands as his team slipped 11 points adrift, as good as gone with 11 games left.

Beaten 2-1 thanks to Umar Sadiq’s winner, this was Valladolid’s seventh defeat in eight, a single point secured from the last 24 available. “Their second goal killed us,” Latasa said, but it has been over for weeks. For the first time in 20 games, when the whistle went Valencia had pulled out of the relegation zone; Valladolid had become resigned to the probability that they never will.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When Ronaldo bought a 50% share in the club for €30m in 2018 – a share he increased to 82% last summer – he said that the “normal” outcome was that they would be “in the Champions League in five seasons”. To begin with there really was a buzz about the place, an energy. And if the players weren’t as good as he was – he tells the story of telling Keko Gontan how to stay cool in front of goal, only for the striker  “but you’re _Il Fenomeno_” – he enjoyed spending time with them, being part of it all. That early enthusiasm, though, has long gone, and so mostly has he.

## Credits



*Sid Lowe

Mon 10 Mar 2025 11.52 EDT

Last modified on Mon 10 Mar 2025 17.21 EDT

## Conclusion

A at the end of training on Friday, as Real Valladolid’s players left the annex next to the José Zorrilla stadium and headed off under grey skies, rain preparing to roll in, a surprise waited for them. It was the final session before the weekend their coach said would show what hopes they had, an opportunity not so much to save their season as still have one, and there was he was: the Original Ronaldo, in the flesh. He came to encourage them, he said, going round the dressing room reminding them what it means to be committed, always. “Thank you for accompanying the team before the Valencia game!” the club tweeted, exclamation included. The Brazilian, after all, is one of the greatest footballers ever.

He is also their owner and president. But still this was unexpected: they hadn’t seen him for months and didn’t think they would see him now either. He had been in the directors’ box for Valladolid’s first game of the season, which they had won, and when they played Real Madrid at the Bernabéu the following week too, which they hadn’t. Since then, as they watched their team slide towards the second division, abandoned to an increasingly inevitable fate, he hadn’t been back. “Where is the president?” supporters had sung. One day in November, while they were playing Getafe, he was playing tennis. They knew that because he had broadcast it on Twitch. So the following week, they set up a game in the stands, giant foam rackets hitting a ball back and forth.



*Real Valladolid owner Ronaldo poses at the Fifa Best awards in 2024. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters*

Mostly, they have sung for him to “go home”, when he already was. He had been at  in midweek, making that as many Real Madrid matches as Valladolid games he has been to this season, and more at the Bernabéu than at the Zorrilla. He had better things to do. Like joining Kaká on court. And becoming president of his country’s FA, because he had done _such_ a good job with his club. And, well, just about anything else, because actually being with his team isn’t much fun. But then suddenly on Friday , telling them all about commitment and sacrifice, the demands, the pride and honour needed to defend a historic shirt: “The only way to compete in the top flight,” as the club’s communique had it.

And then he hopped in his car and headed home, 150km south.

Maybe he watched on telly but the next day Ronaldo – like Peter Lim’s son Kim Liat, Valencia’s new president – wasn’t at Mestalla to see his side lose for the 19th time this season. He wasn’t there to see them concede after seven minutes, to see them handed a lifeline just before half-time, Giorgi Mamardashvili gifting Juanmi Latasa an equaliser, or to see them let go again. Or to console Raúl Moro as he sobbed at full time. He wasn’t on hand to head to the dressing room and remind them of their obligations, not this time, nor to face the yellow flags high in the stands as his team slipped 11 points adrift, as good as gone with 11 games left.

Beaten 2-1 thanks to Umar Sadiq’s winner, this was Valladolid’s seventh defeat in eight, a single point secured from the last 24 available. “Their second goal killed us,” Latasa said, but it has been over for weeks. For the first time in 20 games, when the whistle went Valencia had pulled out of the relegation zone; Valladolid had become resigned to the probability that they never will.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When Ronaldo bought a 50% share in the club for €30m in 2018 – a share he increased to 82% last summer – he said that the “normal” outcome was that they would be “in the Champions League in five seasons”. To begin with there really was a buzz about the place, an energy. And if the players weren’t as good as he was – he tells the story of telling Keko Gontan how to stay cool in front of goal, only for the striker  “but you’re _Il Fenomeno_” – he enjoyed spending time with them, being part of it all. That early enthusiasm, though, has long gone, and so mostly has he.

## Credits



*Sid Lowe

Mon 10 Mar 2025 11.52 EDT

Last modified on Mon 10 Mar 2025 17.21 EDT
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