Brazilian Football Legend Ronaldo Reunites With PokerStars
Brazilian sensation Ronaldo LuÃs Nazário de Lima – more commonly known as Ronaldo – has rejoined the PokerStars family in a renewed partnership focused on his off-pitch passion, poker.
Aged 17, the striker was the youngest member of the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The footballing legend played for Brazil in 98 matches. Scoring 62 goals, he is the third-highest goal-scorer for his national team
Ronaldo has rejoined PokerStars. The Brazilian football star represented the online poker site in 2015 alongside tennis ace Rafael Nadal. ©GettyImages
PokerStars has promised the poker community can now expect to see plenty from the three-time FIFA Player of the Year on his Twitch channel where the 45-year-old plans to stream PokerStars tournaments.
Ronaldo Will Twitch His Stars Tournament Play
Ronaldo originally signed with PokerStars in 2015. During that year he represented the online poker platform at the Monte-Carlo Casino EPT Grand Final and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. In the Bahama Main Event, the Brazilian legend outlasted 790 rivals to finish 26th. His prize was $42,180. It was his first cash in a major poker tournament.
Confirming he will be once again donning a PokerStars T-shirt, Ronaldo said: “I am extremely excited to announce that I am becoming part of the PokerStars family again. I have always been a huge fan of the game and look forward to working on some exciting projects in the future. Keep an eye on Ronaldo TV where I’ll be streaming some tournaments soon!”
The footballing ace was not the first big-name sporting celebrity to represent PokerStars. Ten years ago, the leading poker site employed tennis legends Rafa Nadal and Boris Becker as brand ambassadors. Dutch field hockey Olympic gold medalist Fatima Moreira De Melo and Swedish cross-country skiing Olympic hero Marcus Hellner were other team members.
Neymar Jr Kicks Off in Vegas
Ronaldo will have a younger footballing teammate at PokerStars, as the firm currently has Neymar Jr on its books. He is PokerStars designated ‘Cultural Ambassador’.
Boasting over 57 million Twitter followers, the Paris Saint-Germain and Brazilian international player is regularly described as “one of the most marketable athletes in the world.”
The 30-year-old’s collaboration with the poker room has produced a relatively new poker product, Neymar Jr Kick Off. It has combined the star’s passions for poker, football and innovation, to create a football-inspired poker experience that is unique to PokerStars. The game – with buy-ins ranging from $1 to $25 – provides players with the chance to win up to $50,000.
Underlining his love for poker, Neymar Jr  played in this year’s World Series of Poker. The winger may have missed the goal in the WSOP $10,000 entry Limit Hold’em Championship, but days later he produced an excellent performance in a $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super Turbo Bounty Freezeout.
In a field of 2,227, Neymar Jr finished 49th to collect $3,959 plus a host of $300 bounties for the scalps of players he had eliminated during his deep tournament run.
