Real Madrid left back Marcelo, is planning to invest in both National and international football. The 33-year-old defender, who already owns the Paraná-based Azuriz team, has now added a European club to his portfolio. This is Mafra, who competes in the second division of the Portuguese Championship.
Marcelo also intends to launch “Doze,” his football-focused holding company, which is essentially a holding company that controls or “insures” other businesses. The major purpose of such a company is to manage or control one or more organizations, as it intends to do with the clubs it has purchased.
The lateral confirmed the purchase of Mafra on December 28 and revealed plans to develop a partnership with Azuriz, which already had a training club. After then, a link between Brazil and Europe will be constructed for player exchange.
“Many teams in the second European division struggle to get into the Brazilian market, and Mafra, as a member of the same group as Azuriz, provides the ideal link.” In an interview with TNT Sports, Marcelo stated, “Even with its small structure, Mafra was well structured financially and without any worries.”
The Brazilian paid €7.5 million (R$48 million) for 70% of the company’s capital, according to the Portuguese newspaper “A Bola.” And his business should not end there: the TNT Sports star has already expressed interest in investing in a larger club in Brazil, following the legalization of the Anonymous Society in Football (SAF) model last year.
“In Brazil, our vision and interest in mass clubs are inextricably linked to their history and the supporters they attract. An engaged fan base with a long history is a great way to build a strong brand. It is feasible to boost the brand’s perception, as well as increase the institution’s market value, by doing so “he added.
About Mafra and Azuriz
On May 24, 1965, Clube Desportivo de Mafra was founded in the city of Mafra, which is part of the Lisbon metropolitan region. The Dr. Mário da Silveira stadium, which seats 1,257 people, is home to the green and yellow team. The club now competes in the second division of the Portuguese Championship, having won the third division three times: in 2002, 2015, and 2018. The club has never been able to play in the Primeira Liga, Portugal’s top division.
Azuriz Futebol Clube is a football team based in Marmeleiro, Paraná, 478 kilometers from Curitiba. The “galha-azul” team, created in February 2018 by businessman Pedro Weber and an investment firm that includes Marcelo, plays in the Pioneiros stadium in Pato Branco. The team competes in the Paraná Championship’s top division and won the state’s second division in 2020.
Company Clubs in Brazil
The Chamber of Deputies approved a project on July 14, 2021, that will allow a football club to become a joint-stock company. Some clubs have showed interest in joining the SAF since then. The first documented case in Brazil was Cruzeiro, which announced on December 18 that legend Ronaldo “Fenômeno” – a former player at the club and two-time World Cup champion with the Brazilian national team in 1994 and 2002 – had purchased 90% of his shares for R$400 million.
The next club to follow in Raposa’s footsteps will be Botafogo. On January 3, the Rio club registered its SAF and handed over its new CNPJ to its board members (National Register of Legal Persons). Following this step, billionaire John Textor of Eagles Holdings, who, like Ronaldo at Cruzeiro, aims to buy 90 percent of Fogo, can buy the carioca alvinegro. The investor, who also owns a stake in Crystal Palace in England, is anticipated to spend R$410 million on the deal.
