Ronaldo Nazário, president of Real Valladolid, began a personal journey this Sunday that blends ambition with a pledge kept: riding the Camino de Santiago on an electric bike. He embarked on this path not for fitness alone, but to celebrate the club’s push toward top-flight football, convinced that the experience will be memorable for everyone involved.
The adventure starts in a relaxed mood at the Nuevo José Zorrilla stadium, the stage where the climb began and where six more segments remain to conquer the ascent.
Nazário admitted he had “zero training” yet felt fired up, leaning on his athletic background to tackle each stage, which exceed 50 kilometers. “The Camino will be stunning,” he said, “I may suffer, but it will become an unforgettable experience.”
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The former Brazilian international and a storied name in clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan recalled his commitment after the club’s first-year revival into the top tier of Spanish football. He explained that when relegation hit, he understood the need for hard work to return to the elite. He promised changes, embraced a new philosophy, and believes the club performed admirably, especially at the season’s outset.
He noted that Valladolid emphasizes high-quality football and plays an attractive style. Nazário felt the team deserved promotion, kept his word, and seized the chance to fulfill a long-held desire: to experience Santiago de Compostela in depth.
Great goal against Compostela
“I play with the famous Compostela ambition in mind, but the Camino was a special goal I carried with me,” he reflected. He recalled framing his thoughts while reflecting on a legendary moment: a goal for Barcelona in October 1996, a memory that inspired him as a star after navigating a difficult sequence against several defenders, a moment he carries with him on this journey.
The white-and-purple leadership will not embark alone. Nazário is joined by his partner Celina Locks, a guide, a physiotherapist, a mechanic, a support member and a production crew in two vans to generate content for the Twitch channel Ronaldo TV. A small, highly skilled team stands ready to support, to ensure smooth progress and to keep everything safe along the way.
Six days, six stages, passing through Valladolid, León, and the four Galician provinces—A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra. This route traces a less-traveled path of the Camino de Santiago, often called the winter route, as Nazário expresses gratitude to the saint for guiding Valladolid back toward the first division. The journey also represents a personal pilgrimage alongside the club’s ascent.
The team’s plans include two Specialized Turbo Levo electric mountain bikes, a tasteful blend of lightness and power suited for long, challenging rides across variety of terrains. The investment ranges in the thousands, reflecting how modern sports teams equip themselves for endurance journeys, and the bikes will be finished in a striking red to match the club’s colors.
Meanwhile, the squad and staff balance their responsibilities—some players like Shon Weissman and Gonzalo Plata are with national teams participating in the Nations League—before returning to work on July 6, with medical tests slated for August 14 and subsequent training ahead of the scheduled Santander League season.