Ronaldo instructed to ‘go residence’ as Spanish followers protest towards legend forward of defeat

Real Valladolid fans have voiced their discontent with the club’s ownership under Ronaldo, following another La Liga defeat, this time against Atletico Madrid.

The Brazil icon, a two-time World Cup winner, took over the Spanish club in 2018, acquiring a 51% stake after investing £27m. The now 48-year-old also previously owned Brazilian team Cruzeiro, both of which won promotion in 2022, but he sold his stake in the Belo Horizonte club later that year.

Valladolid has experienced two relegations during Ronaldo’s tenure, but managed to secure promotion back to La Liga twice. However, the 2024-25 season has been particularly challenging, with the team languishing at the bottom of the table after 15 games.

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Fans expressed their concerns with a protest march to the stadium before Saturday’s match against Atleti, and ‘Ronaldo Go Home’ signs were seen on seats inside the ground.

The match itself didn’t fare much better for Valladolid, with Atleti securing a 3-0 lead by half-time thanks to goals from Clement Lenglet, Julian Alvarez and Rodrigo De Paul. Antoine Griezmann and Alexander Sorloth added to the tally after the break.

Following the match, Valladolid announced the sacking of manager Paulo Pezzolano. “The Club would like to thank Pezzolano for his performance as a Blanquivioleta, while wishing him the best of luck in his new personal and professional stage,” read a statement from the club, reports the Mirror.

Pezzolano, the former manager of Cruzeiro, couldn’t save Valladolid from relegation after taking the reins in April 2023. However, he guided them to a second-place finish in the Segunda Division last season, securing promotion.

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Ronaldo, who was reportedly on the verge of selling his stake in Valladolid over the summer, decided against it. The club announced that the Brazilian would make a personal financial contribution to increase the club’s salary cap, aiming to build a squad capable of maintaining their top-flight status.

Several players were signed over the summer, including Raul Moro, who scored the winning goal on the opening weekend of the season after making his loan move permanent. However, Valladolid has only managed one victory since then, accumulating just nine points from their 15 matches.