Ronaldinho Gaúcho, 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 the talent incubator venture 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 football.
Ronaldinho Gaúcho grew up playing street football in Brazil and became one of the greatest footballers of all time and the only player 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 Ballon d’Or – the most prestigious trophies in football worldwide. He has over 140 million combined followers on social media.
Without a centralized program focused on youth development and recruitment to find and mentor the best young stars in football globally, and inspired by Ronaldinho’s own successful journey from the streets to the spotlight, the RGSL offers an innovative, highly scalable, inclusive platform that gives young footballers from all backgrounds the opportunity to showcase their skills and reach their full potential in the sport. Other superstars who started their careers in street football include Pelé, Maradona, Neymar, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The RGSL will feature a unique social media selection process, where street football players of all ages can submit their best skills, tricks, and plays with the hashtag #RGSL for a chance to join one of the RGSL teams. The RGSL mobile app, set to launch soon, will showcase the best street football players in the world, along with news, live scores, highlights, and more. In addition to the digital footprint, live events in major cities around the world will bring together the best street football players for face-to-face matches and skill competitions. The league will culminate in a complete street football league, with 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 biggest sport in the world, which, for most (like me), starts by playing in the street,” said Ronaldinho Gaúcho. “We are creating a new platform that will allow talented young footballers from around the world to showcase their skills and reach their full potential. We believe there is immense value in this space – and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to support the players of the future.”
Moreira added: “Ronaldinho and I grew up in an underprivileged community in Brazil. We know firsthand the power of street football in empowering youth, and we are fully committed to discovering and supporting street football players around the world through the RGSL.”
Sophie Watts, co-founder of Mike Tyson’s Legends League, which produced Roy Jones Jr vs. Mike Tyson in November 2020, the most successful boxing exhibition fight of all time in the world that generated $80 million in PPV revenue and attracted over 1.6 million pay-per-view purchases, is operationally leading SW Companies in launching and growing the League.
Longtime management partner of Ronaldinho, Raphael Senden, will lead the day-to-day management of the RGSL. As co-founder of Ronaldinho’s Globe Street Team, Senden organized with Hupu Sports the first international Freestyle Football event in China’s history in 2013. The F3WT “Freestyle World Tour” was broadcast live on 4 TV channels, reaching over 155M simultaneous viewers.
Roberto de Assis Moreira will lead RGSL’s relations with footballers globally. A former player and current sports agent, Moreira is best known for his time at Grêmio and Flamengo, where he won multiple domestic and international titles. After retiring as a player, he founded his sports agency, which represents several high-profile players around 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 give back to the street a little of what the street has brought to the game of football,” said Senden. “It is a great honor to help Ronaldinho extend his legacy to generations who did not have the pleasure of seeing him play live. Together with SW Companies, we will make this happen. It is a dream that will last beyond our existence.”