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Ronaldo explores cooperation with China's Ali Sports

Xinhua, November 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo Nazario and his Ronaldo Academy agree here Wednesday to cooperate with Ali sports group, which is majority-owned by Alibaba Group, China's e-commerce giant.

   The two sides will collaborate on multiple levels in the soccer promotion in China, providing high-level soccer training for Chinese teenagers and exploring Rio Games-themed sports tourism products.

   The Ronaldo Academy, jointly founded by Ronaldo and Carlos Wizard Martins, his business partner and Brazilian billionaire, is expected to open 100 football schools worldwide by 2020, training youth 6 to 18 years old in general education and football skills.

   The first "Ronaldo Academy" was established in Brazil this April, and then in the United States and Qatar. 

   Ronaldo, who announced in September his plan to open 30 soccer schools in China, came to China with Carlos last Saturday, saying that they would "build the base of Chinese soccer pyramid", and make the best use of Ali sports channels, which were set to tap into China's multi-trillion-yuan sports market.

   Ali sports was newly founded in September and its controlling shareholder is Alibaba Group, one of the biggest online commerce company in the world.  Endi