Earlier this year, Real Madrid striker Vini. Jr along with rap legend and successful businessman Jay-Z became part of a consortium that took control of Portuguese side Futebol Clube de Alverca.
The club hails from the town of Alverca de Ribatejo some 30km from Portuguese capital Lisbon and they currently play at the 8,000 capacity Estadio Complexo Desportivo do FC Alverca and next season will be playing in the top flight.
A 2-1 win over Portimonense secured automatic promotion for the club with with the feat celebrated by Vini who shared his joy via social media with a “Vamos/ Let’s go!!!!!!!!!” post as FC Alverca return to the top table of Portuguese football for the first time in over 20 years.
Takeover
Vinícius was supported in the Alverca venture by agency Roc Nation Sports Brazil, with Roc Nation founded by North American rapper Jay-Z in 2008.
The deal for the club was reportedly close to the 10 million euro mark with negotiations ongoing between Roc Nation directly with Ricardo Vicintin, the 75-year-old Brazilian businessman who, since July 2022, has been the majority shareholder of the club holding 77% of the capital of the SAD (limited sproting company).
Founded in 1939, FC Alverca have flitted between the second tier and lower leagues with the club suffering bankruptcy in 2005. In 2021, the club returned to the second division and time will tell if El más grande del Ribatejo (as the club are known) can survive playing alongside the likes of Benfica, Sporting, Braga and FC Porto.
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