UK-listed advertising company WPP has a 45% stake in Brazilian footballer Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima’s sports marketing company, 9ine.
Ronaldo owns 45% with business partner Marcus Buaiz the remainder, according to news provider Financial Times (FT). The contract had been made in September last year.
The FT added that in its first months, 9ine signed contracts to manage the images of Brazilian footballer Neymar, indoor-football celebrity Falcão, and world mixed martial arts champion Anderson Silva. On the corporate side, its first contract is with drugs company GlaxoSmithKline, for which 9ine will develop sports marketing strategies for consumer product.