Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario has revealed he will fulfil a promise to cycle 500km following Real Valladolid's promotion to LaLiga.
The Pucelanos will be playing in the Spanish top-flight next season after finishing second in the Segunda Division.
Ronaldo, who became the club's majority shareholder in 2018, will now make the pilgrimage route from Valladolid to Santiago de Compostela, the culmination of the Camino de Santiago.
"To celebrate Valladolid's automatic promotion, I made a promise a long time ago, even when we were relegated [in 2021]," Ronaldo stated on Twitch.
"I promised that if we came back [to LaLiga], I would do the Camino de Santiago. I will do it by bike as I can't run.
"My wife [Celine] and I will leave from Valladolid on Sunday and travel to Santiago de Compostela by bicycle."
Valladolid secured promotion back to LaLiga at the first time of asking after suffering relegation last season, and Ronaldo believes the achievement is comparable with those in his own playing career.
The former striker fired Brazil to their fifth World Cup success in 2002, winning the Golden Boot in Japan after scoring eight goals at the tournament, including both strikes in their final win over Germany.
He claimed, as reported by El Norte de Castilla, that Valladolid's success was "right there next to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea."
Netherlands lose five players to 'viral infection' as Gakpo and De Ligt leave Koeman camp
Cody Gakpo and Matthijs de Ligt were among five players sent home from the Netherlands national team camp on Thursday after being hit by a virus.
The drastic news meant coach Ronald Koeman was forced into a rapid rethink of his plans for Friday's Euro 2024 qualifier away to France.
In a statement on its website, the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) said Liverpool forward Gakpo and Bayern Munich defender De Ligt had left the squad, along with Newcastle United defender Sven Botman, PSV midfielder Joey Vermeen and Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
Botman, Vermeen and Verbruggen are uncapped and were hoping for their first active involvements with the Oranje, while Gakpo and De Ligt are key figures in the Dutch side.
Koeman called in Vitesse goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen, Inter defender Stefan de Vrij and Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch to fortify his group.
The KNVB described the problem facing the five sick players as "a viral infection", without giving further details.
The Netherlands tackle World Cup runners-up France at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday and then host Gibraltar on Monday in Rotterdam.
Balogun would be 'great addition' for USMNT, 'but his heart needs to be in it'
Folarin Balogun would be a "great addition" to the United States team, but Arsenal's Matt Turner only wants the striker to make the switch if it "comes from the heart".
Arsenal forward Balogun has excelled on loan with Reims this season, scoring 17 goals in 27 Ligue 1 appearances – behind only Jonathan David and Kylian Mbappe (both 19).
The 21-year-old's excellent form has prompted talk of a tussle for his international allegiance, with the New York-born star eligible to represent England, the United States and Nigeria.
Balogun has been a mainstay in the England Under-21 set-up, but he withdrew from the squad for this month's internationals due to injury.
That development has led to fresh hope Balogun will pledge himself to the USMNT, and Turner confirmed he had spoken to his Gunners team-mate on the matter.
"I spoke to Flo. We obviously had most of our preseason together, and I knew going into it he had some roots in the USA," the goalkeeper said on Wednesday.
"So, he and I developed a relationship pretty quickly. That's pretty much the extent of it. We check in on each other here and there.
"He'd be a great addition to our national team. I think he's done really well, obviously, for his club on loan, and we'll see.
"The decision has to come from the heart, because it's not necessarily an easy task to come and play in these CONCACAF games. It's a tough region at times.
"So, for us, we'd be really grateful to have him, but his heart needs to be in it."
Earlier in the week, Balogun told Sky Sports he was yet to decide on his future but has aspirations of playing at the highest level.
"My international future is not decided yet in terms of who I'll play for," he said. "But of course I want to play international football at the highest level, in the World Cups, and I want to compete at the highest level.
"I want to put myself in positions where I'm performing in front of millions of people."
Reiten gives Chelsea edge over defending champions Lyon
Guro Reiten secured Chelsea the advantage in their quarter-final against defending champions Lyon in the Women's Champions League.
The Norwegian curled home after 28 minutes in France to hand the Blues a 1-0 lead ahead of the reverse fixture in London.
Lyon were guilty of missing a number of opportunities in the first half, although Lauren James could have added a second for Chelsea when she hit the post.
Delphine Cascarino similarly struck the woodwork for Lyon after half-time, with the eight-time champions now needing a turnaround in the second leg if their title defence is to continue.
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