Since former striker Ronaldo Nazario took over in September 2018, the squad, which returned to the elite after four years in the second division, has remained in the Eerste Divisie.
For more than two years as the owner and president of Real Valladolid, Ronaldo the ‘phenomenon’ has tried to make the team achieve positive results on the field to realize his big plans for the club.
“The goal is to grow, to stabilize us in the first division. In five years, he will fight to qualify for the UEFA Champions League,” said the Brazilian at the “World Soccer Summit” in Madrid in September 2019. “Once we manage to stay in the first [división], restructure the club and do everything we intend to do, the normal thing is to fight for a place in the Champions League. Now it’s scary, but why not think big? “
The objectives also include the acquisition of the José Zorrilla Municipal Stadium. The hall has a capacity of 27,618 people, and Ronaldo plans to turn it into an arena, which will be called the Valladolid Arena, for 40,000 people.
Since the former attacker took charge in September 2018, the team, which returned to the elite after four years in the second division, continued to reject in 2018/19 at 16th place in LaLiga, four points above the zone of rejection. In 2019/20 they surpassed 13th place, something that hadn’t happened since 2002-03.
In the current campaign, the fight continues to flee, at least for now, from relegation, but the team has shown an improvement in the latest results. After starting the season with five losses and three draws, the team finished last in the standings after eight rounds, with three wins, two draws and one setback in the next six games.
He Valladolid they are now in 18th position, first in the relegation zone, but they have 14 points, two more than Getafe, which is 11th. Their next challenge, and the chance for a great win, is on Tuesday, when they host Barcelona.
But who are the most important names in Ronaldo’s team?
Bee bank is coach Sergio, who reached the last leg of the second division in 2017-18, scoring five wins in eight games and leading the team to the playoffs and then promoted. The 44-year-old former midfielder also drove the Spanish between 2014 and 2015. As a footballer he spent a lot of time with the Catalan team and the Deportivo La Coruña.
For this season, the coach has seen the club make the most expensive purchases and sales in history. While defender Mohammed Salisu was traded for € 12 million with Southampton, attacker Shon Weissman arrived Wolfsberger for 4 million euros. Figures are from Transfermarkt.
The 24-year-old was the top scorer in the last edition of the Austrian league, scoring 30 goals in 31 games. The closest was Patson Daka from Red Bull Salzburg with 24 goals. In his current squad, Weissman has scored just two goals, one less than Marcos Andre, the team’s top scorer in the league. The 24-year-old Brazilian has been in Spain since 2015 and played before Mirandés on loan last season, scoring 12 goals in the second division in 2019-2020.
Last season’s top scorer was Sergi Guardiola, who scored eight goals and has been with the club since early 2019, but has no connection with him. Barcelona, despite sharing his surname with a legend of the Catalans. The same cannot be said of 31-year-old goalkeeper Jordi Masip, who was revealed by the Barcelona and for whoever played four games before moving to Valladolid mid-2017 and has been a regular since its arrival. Now he will try to keep his old team from leaving the relegation zone.
Step by step for the club that dreams of it Champions League.