Ronaldinho Gaúcho, the former World Cup champion and two-time FIFA World Player of the Year, is launching the Ronaldinho Global Street League (RGSL) in collaboration with Roberto de Assis Moreira, Raphael Senden, and talent venture incubator SW Companies, led by Sophie Watts. The RGSL aims to revolutionize youth development and recruitment programs for football globally, providing a unique platform for talented young footballers to showcase their skills and express themselves through the art of soccer.
Ronaldinho Gaúcho grew up playing street soccer in Brazil and went on to become one of the greatest footballers of all time and the only player ever to have won a UEFA Champions League, two La Liga championships, a World Cup, a Copa América, a Confederations Cup, a Champions League, a Copa Libertadores and a Balon d’Or – the most prestigious trophies in football in the world. He has over 140 million combined social media followers.
With no centralized, youth-oriented development and recruitment program to find and mentor the best young football stars globally, and inspired by Ronaldinho’s own path to success from the streets to the spotlight, the RGSL offers an innovative, highly-scalable platform that is inclusive and gives young footballers from all backgrounds the opportunity to showcase their abilities and reach their full potential in the sport. Other superstar players who started their careers in street soccer include Pelé, Maradona, Neymar, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The RGSL will feature a unique social media tryout process where street football players of all ages can upload their best skills, tricks, and moves under the hashtag #RGSL for the potential to join one of the RGSL teams. RGSL’s upcoming mobile app will feature the best street football players worldwide, along with news, live scores, highlights, and more. In addition to its digital footprint, live events in major cities worldwide will bring the best street football players together for head-to-head matches and skills competitions. The league will culminate in a fully-fledged street soccer league featuring teams from around the world competing for the title of RGSL Champions, and the ultimate opportunity to become part of the elite RGST Ronaldinho Globe Street Team.
“The Ronaldinho Global Street League is the biggest opportunity in the world’s biggest sport that, for most (like me), starts by playing on the street,” said Ronaldinho Gaúcho. “We are creating a new platform that will allow talented young footballers from all over the world to showcase their skills and reach their full potential. We believe there is massive value in the space – and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to support the players of the future.”
Added Moreira, “Ronaldinho and I grew up in an underprivileged community in Brazil. We know first-hand the power of street football in empowering youth and are fully dedicated to discovering and supporting street soccer players around the world through RGSL.”
Sophie Watts, the co-founder of Mike Tyson’s Legends League, which produced Roy Jones Jr vs. Mike Tyson in November 2020, the world’s most successful ever exhibition boxing fight and which generated $80 million in PPV revenue and drew over 1.6 million pay-per-view buys, is operationally leading SW Companies in the launch and growth of the League.
Long-time management partner to Ronaldinho, Raphael Senden, will spearhead RGSL’s day-to-day management. As a co-founder of Ronaldinho’s Globe Street Team, Senden organized with Hupu Sports the first international event of Freestyle Football in the Chinese history in 2013. The F3WT “Freestyle World Tour” was broadcasted in live on 4 TV channels, reaching over 155M eyeballs simultaneously.
Roberto de Assis Moreira will lead RGSL’s relationships with footballers globally. A former player and current sports agent, Moreira is best known for his time with Gremio and Flamengo, where he won multiple domestic and international titles. After retiring from playing, he founded his sports agency, which represents a number of high-profile players across the world, including Ronaldinho. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Brazilian football.
“Ronaldinho’s Global Street League is a way to touch back (or give back) to the street a bit of what the street has brought to the game of football,” said Senden. It’s a great honor to help Ronaldinho to extend his legacy for generations that haven’t had the pleasure to watch him play live. Together with SW Companies we will make it happen. It’s a dream that will last beyond our existence.”