Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos group seals Inter de Limeira deal
An investor group including Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos has signed an agreement to acquire 80% of Inter de Limeira’s football company, with plans to invest up to R$454m over ten years and reach Brazil’s top division within eight seasons.
An investor group including Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos has formalised its acquisition of 80% of Inter de Limeira’s Sociedade Anônima do Futebol, establishing a corporate ownership structure backed by a ten-year investment plan.The sporting association will retain the remaining 20% of the football company, with the project envisaging investment of up to R$454m across football operations, youth development, administration and infrastructure.The group also includes Saudi prince Abdullah bin Saad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and a Haitian businessman, bringing international investors into the ownership of the São Paulo state club.The investment programme targets promotion to Série A within eight seasons, following Inter de Limeira’s return to the national second division after a 35-year absence.The team will compete in Série B in 2027, giving the incoming ownership a higher national platform from which to develop the business.The transaction is being led by Enrico Ambrogini, whose experience includes working with Ronaldo at Cruzeiro and Real Valladolid, alongside serving as Inter de Limeira’s chief executive.His involvement connects the project with executives and investors who have previously worked together in club ownership, although the individual shareholdings within the consortium have not been specified.The agreement’s signing had initially been expected in September before being delayed by administrative requirements.Under the opening phase of the investment plan, up to R$20m is envisaged across 2026 and 2027, supporting the professional team, academy and modernisation of administrative and technological systems.Improvements are also planned for the training ground and the Major Levy Sobrinho stadium, known as the Limeirão, linking the sporting objectives with upgrades to the club’s operating facilities.The R$454m figure describes the potential investment programme over a decade rather than an upfront acquisition payment, while the supplied reporting does not establish how much has already been injected.That distinction is significant to the scale and timing of the project: the initial funding phase represents only part of a longer programme intended to support progress through the Brazilian football system.The SAF structure gives the investor group a controlling equity stake while preserving a minority holding for the original association.The association’s retained 20% should not, however, be treated as evidence of particular veto rights or governance protections, which have not been detailed in the supplied material.Alongside their national Série B campaign, Inter de Limeira are preparing to compete in São Paulo’s Série A2 state championship in the first half of 2027.The new ownership’s immediate programme centres on preparing for those competitions, strengthening the club’s football and administrative operations and beginning the planned training ground and stadium improvements.