Ronaldo seeks Confederation of Brazilian Football presidency
Iconic footballer Ronaldo has disclosed his intentions run for the presidency of Brazil’s football association.
According to the famed forward, one of his objectives is to "recover the prestige" of his home country’s national team.
"We have the best players, we have [Vinicius Jr], Neymar, Rodrygo, Estevao, Endrick we have a lot of talent, how can we not play well?" Ronaldo lamented to Globo Esporte, External.
"We have to change this dynamic. Brazil has to be a protagonist in the World Cup, in the Copa America, it can't miss out on the Olympics. It's unacceptable for the talent we have."
In 2011 Ronaldo recorded his international retirement. Since then Brazil has only won the Copa America once.
A five-time World Cup winner, Brazil last won the competition in 2002. Since then, it has struggled to go past the quarter-final stage. For instance, it was knocked out of the 2022 World Cup by Croatia in the quarter-finals.
Ronaldo bemoaned “a total lack of interest from the population in the national team,” an unusual thing since “for many decades, Brazilian football has always been the escape route” for locals as “they faced daily problems”.
"Among hundreds of things that motivate me to become a candidate for president of the CBF is to recover this prestige and respect that the national team has always had and that no one else has today," the 98-time national captain asserted.
Ronaldo, 48, seeks to replace Ednaldo Rodrigues, the current Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) president.
According to Ronaldo, he will sell his stake in Real Valladolid (La Liga), as part of his bid for the presidency.
Rodrigues' tenure ends in March 2026. Before then, the presidential elections must commence.
For 17 years overseas, Ronaldo captured the hearts of many around the world with his agility and goal-scoring prowess.
After Germany's Miroslav Klose, the former Real Madrid star is the second all-time top scorer at the World Cup, which he won in 1994 and 2002.
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02:42Ronaldo seeks Confederation of Brazilian Football presidency
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