Barcelona sign Ronaldinho as first-team ambassador
Ronaldinho will be seen representing Barcelona once again as the club has signed the Brazilian as the new first-team ambassador for the inauguration of their new corporate facility in New York. The former Barcelona player will also be joined by women’s team member Line Røddik Hansen as the Catalan club is looking to expand their horizons and their new facility, which is located in a Park Avenue, will act as one of the offices.
The new corporate facility will be inaugurated on September 6th and will be used to enter into new markets and promote commercial interests so as to increase the revenue of the club. The La Liga giants have been looking to expand its commercial earnings and this represents a huge step forward as they look to battle the likes of Manchester United.
Ronaldinho was last seen in action in India’s Premier Futsal League, which he left after two games. At the time, Ronaldinho was chosen as the Brand Ambassador for the Rio Paralympics which led to his sudden departure from India. Ronaldinho had scored 5 goals in a fixture before quitting stating that the demands of his country were a priority. He was replaced by his compatriot Cafu for the rest of the tournament.
Barcelona’s grand strategic plan
The opening of this facility is a part of the ‘Strategic Plan’ for the 2016-21 period and will see a complete overhaul of the international scope of the club with one of the targets being to achieve a turnover of €1000 million. Following their Hong Kong office which was opened in the year 2014, the New York office will also be involved in commercial activities.
It is believed that a delegation of Barcelona officials comprising President, Josep Maria Bartomeu and first vice-president Jordi Cardoner, will also be joined by Vice-Presidents Jordi Mestre and Manel Arroyo.
The club has a huge amount of commercial interests in the USA with sponsors such as Nike, Gatorade and Gillette. The club also has strategic alliances with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Social and charity projects will be the area of focus of this new office as the club also looks to expand its supporter’s base by forming more penyas (fan clubs).
In a statement, released Manel Arroyo, on the club’s official website, he was of the view that the New York office is just the start of the club’s expansion. The La Liga side will also look to establish a presence in China and Brazil as it marches forward to its ambition to be the amongst the top three sports clubs in the world.