Ronaldo expands portfolio with stake in Portuguese porcelain brand

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to invest in industries outside of soccer. The well-known athlete has acquired shares in the prestigious Portuguese porcelain brand Vista Alegre.

The Portuguese forward "acquired 10 percent of the capital" of Vista Alegre Atlantis, the brand's owner, the Visabeira group, stated in a press release.

The company welcomed the involvement of "one of the best players in the history of soccer and the most known and admired Portuguese personality in the world."

Ronaldo's agreement with Vista Alegre's parent company, which also owns Bordallo Pinheiro artistic ceramics, also includes the acquisition of 30 percent of the shares in Vista Alegre's Spanish subsidiary and a project to develop the group's flagship brands in the Asian market.

Vista Alegre and Bordallo Pinheiro are brands I've always greatly admired and of which I'm a frequent customer - Ronaldo stated, as quoted in the press release, where he expressed that he is "proud" to support their "globalization strategy."

The Eco portal reports that the transaction represents an investment valued at over 24 million Canadian dollars. The group, which generates nearly 70 percent of its sales abroad, is present in many countries in Europe and America. In 2023, Vista Alegre Atlantis recorded sales of approximately 181 million Canadian dollars.

This is yet another investment by CR7 in non-sporting industries. The captain of the Portuguese national soccer team owns a business empire comprising direct and indirect stakes in several domestic companies operating in different sectors, with a particular focus on tourism and real estate, and since last year also in media, integrating a group of investors that remained in Cofina Media.

The athlete has also invested in the hospitality industry - with the Pestana group, which, like him, is from Madeira.

According to "Forbes," in 2023 Ronaldo was the highest-paid athlete earning 180 million Canadian dollars, including 61 million dollars in salary.

At the age of 39, CR7 will play in his eleventh major international tournament, in the European Championship, which started on Friday in Germany. Portugal will play its first game on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, against the Czech Republic at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. The Portuguese national soccer team has won the European Championship once (in 2016).