The president of Real Valladolid, Ronaldo Nazário, has begun this Sunday to fulfill the promise of completing the Camino de Santiago on an electric bicycle because he is aware that he is not in his best form, but convinced that it will be as unforgettable an experience as possible. It has been the promotion of his club to the First Division, precisely the reason for this adventure. A route that began cool and in a relaxed atmosphere, at the Nuevo José Zorilla stadium, which served as the final stage for the ascent, and with six stages to go.
Nazário has recognized that he is “zero trained” and has taken advantage of his “athletic history” to overcome 50 kilometers of each stage, although he has been “very excited”: “The Camino is going to be very beautiful, physically I know that I’m going to suffer but it’s going to be an unforgettable experience”.
The former Brazilian international and also a historic player for Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan has recalled that he made the promise after relegation to the silver category of Spanish football and has stressed that, after that bump, the team took a turn to ensure the return to First. “When we were relegated, I knew we had to do a lot of work to get back to the First Division. I made the promise, we have done a very good job, especially at the beginning of the year, with all the changes we have made, all the philosophy we have changed”, he assured.
In this sense, he has valued the quality of Pucela’s game and has stated that the team has played “very nice football” and “has deserved to be promoted”, for which it “pays the promise” and takes the opportunity to satisfy “an old desire” : get to know Santiago de Compostela well.
“I have been playing and I have the famous Compostela goal, but the Camino is something special that I had in mind”, he said in reference to the goal he scored with the Barcelona shirt in October 1996, after overcoming three defenders and which meant a boost as a football star, against the legendary English coach Boby Robson, who raised his hands to his head when he saw his gallop from the center of the field.
The blanquivioleta director will not be alone on this trip: he will be accompanied by his partner, Celina Locks, a guide, a physiotherapist, a mechanic, a support person and a recording team with which he will create content for his Twitch channel, Ronaldo TV in two vans. A small entourage that, in the words of Nazário, accompanies them “in case something happens” and that make up “a team of very expert professionals” who will follow them and make sure that nothing bad happens to them.
Six days and six provinces – Valladolid, León and the four Galician provinces: La Coruña, Lugo, Orense and Pontevedra – along the so-called ‘Winter Way’, less traveled than other Compostela routes and with which Nazário seeks to thank the saint for his return from Pucela to the First Division of Spanish football.
The man from Rio de Janeiro and his partner will also ride two Specialized Turbo Levo electric mountain bikes, both red, whose price ranges between 3,000 and 13,000 euros and which combine lightness with the capacity to make long journeys due to their power.
Meanwhile, players and coaching staff combine their different responsibilities – some players like Shon Weissman (Israel) or Gonzalo Plata (Ecuador) compete with their respective teams – with the return to work, scheduled for July 6 with medical tests at the squad and subsequent training sessions ahead of the start of the Santander League, scheduled for August 14.
