Tag Archives: Second Division

Real Madrid Star Vinícius Júnior Considering Buying Football Club in Portugal’s Second Division

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Vinícius Júnior may be adding owner to his soccer resume… 

The 24-year-old Brazilian professional footballer and Real Madrid star is considering buying a football club in Portugal’s second division, per ESPN sources.

Vinícius Júnior,The Brazil international — currently in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the Spanish Supercopa — is considering diversifying his business interests with an eye to his future career plans after retiring as a player.

Vinícius started for Madrid in their 3-0 Supercopa semifinal victory over Mallorca on Thursday, a result which will see them face Barcelona in Sunday’s final.

The news that the Ballon d’Or runner-up is contemplating buying a club in Portugal was first reported by the radio station Cadena COPE.

Vinícius already has a series of personal sponsorship agreements, as well as a contract with Nike which runs until 2028.

Vinícius and Nike recently reached a new deal after a legal dispute, which sees the Brazilian becoming one of the North American company’s most high-profile faces in football.

Vinícius is represented by the agency Roc Nation, and is in frequent contact with elite athletes from other sports, especially the NBA and NFL.

He also promotes the charitable foundation the Vini Jr Institute in Brazil.

The Portuguese second division has 18 clubs, including the reserve teams of Benfica and Porto. One club, Portimonense, already has a Brazilian at the helm, Rodiney Sampaio.

Vinícius would not be the first active footballer to purchase a club.

N’Golo Kanté owns Royal Excelsior Virton in the Belgian third division, and Vini’s Real Madrid teammate, Kylian Mbappé, became the majority shareholder of Caen, in the French second division, in July last year.

Bayer Leverkusen Considering Xabi Alonso for Manager Role

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Xabi Alonso may be headed to Germany…

Bayer Leverkusen is considering firing current manager Gerardo Seoane and looking to appoint the 40-year-old Spanish football manager and former professional player as his replacement, according to ESPN.

Xabi AlonsoSeoane will be in charge for Leverkusen’s Champions League Group B game with FC Porto on Tuesday, but his future is uncertain after a poor start to the Bundesliga season with the club sitting 17th after picking up five points from eight games.

Alonso has been out of work since leaving Real Sociedad B in May after a successful three years in charge.

Sources told ESPN that he would welcome the challenge of turning around Leverkusen’s season.

Seoane managed Leverkusen to a third-place finish in the Bundesliga in his debut campaign last year, qualifying for the Champions League, but they have struggled so far this season.

Sources told ESPN that Alonso has emerged as a leading candidate to replace Seoane over the last week.

Germany’s Sport1 reported that Leverkusen had contacted Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked by Chelsea last month, but the former Borussia Dortmund coach turned down the approach.

Alonso is highly rated as a managerial prospect. He starred as a player for Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich before retiring in 2017.

He began his coaching career with Real Madrid’s academy before taking over Sociedad’s B team in 2019, leading them to promotion to the Second Division in 2021 for the first time in 60 years before departing this summer.

Sociedad had been keen to keep him on board as a potential future first-team manager, but the performance of Imanol Alguacil in the role meant that was not an option in the short-term, and Alonso preferred to seek a new opportunity.