Cristiano Ronaldo, the veteran football striker, has recently invested €5 million to support the growth of Padel in Portugal.
Padel is a sport that combines elements of tennis and squash, played in doubles on an enclosed court with a tennis-style scoring system. Ronaldo’s involvement as an investor is expected to further boost the sport’s growth.
“The ‘City of Padel’ is an old dream which I always hoped to achieve and it is an immense pride to be able to do it alongside someone who, for me, is the greatest figure in the history of world sport – Cristiano Ronaldo,” said Ronaldo regarding his investment.
Several other top football stars, including Lionel Messi, Neymar, Jurgen Klopp, Mohamed Salah, and even Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al Khelaifi, have shown interest in playing padel. Despite this, padel is not as popular as tennis, leading some to question its appeal.
