Brazil legends target top-flight return after Inter de Limeira investment deal

Ronaldo Nazario and Roberto Carlos have entered a new phase of their sporting investment careers after an investment group including the two Brazilian football legends secured an 80% stake in Inter de Limeira’s football company.

The agreement was approved at a general meeting of the club, with 53 members voting in favour and only one voting against. It allows for the creation of a Sociedade Anonima do Futebol (SAF), the Brazilian football corporation structure, and transfers the majority shareholding to the investment group.

Inter de Limeira’s association will retain the remaining 20% of the shares under the terms of the deal.

The investment group also includes businessman Enrico Ambrogini and other investors. Reports indicate that the project could involve as much as 454m Brazilian reais in investment over a 10-year period.

That figure is an estimated value linked to the achievement of development and growth targets, rather than a guaranteed financial injection in full.

The new ownership structure is intended to rebuild Inter de Limeira both on and off the pitch, with a long-term ambition of guiding the club into Brazil’s top division in the coming years.

Inter de Limeira are currently competing in the third tier of the Brazilian league and also play in the Sao Paulo state championship. The club have fallen through the divisions in recent years after enjoying more successful periods in their history.

One of their notable achievements came in 1986, when they won the Sao Paulo state championship.

The agreement brings together two of Brazil’s most famous former players in a project focused on restoring the club’s sporting and financial position. Ronaldo Nazario, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion, and Roberto Carlos, a World Cup-winning left-back, have both moved into business and investment activities since ending their playing careers.

The arrangement is also part of a wider shift in Brazilian football, where clubs are increasingly adopting the SAF model to attract private capital and create new sources of funding.

That approach is designed to support investment in infrastructure, playing squads and youth development, while giving clubs a more structured commercial framework.

For Inter de Limeira, the immediate challenge remains competing in the third tier and the Sao Paulo state competition. The broader objective is to use the new ownership model to establish a stronger foundation before attempting to climb back towards the highest level of Brazilian football.

The club, founded 112 years ago, now begins a new chapter under a group led in part by two of the most recognisable figures in Brazilian football.