Former Brazilian Football Player Ronaldo Hopes To Buy Playboy Franchise In Brazil

Former Brazilian football player Ronaldo is "hoping to buy the huge Playboy franchise in Brazil," according to Matt Roper of the London DAILY MAIL. The former Real Madrid striker-turned-businessman, 35, "is believed to be close to making a bid for the popular men's magazine." Sources close to the player, full name Ronaldo Nazario de Lima, told Brazil's Extra newspaper that he sees the publication -- Brazil's 10th best-selling magazine -- "as a lucrative business opportunity." Playboy in Brazil has the third largest readership of the magazine in the world, reguarly selling over 250,000 copies a month -- "but sales have fallen in the last decade from sometimes over a million in the 1990s." Friends of the footballer said that Ronaldo -- nicknamed The Phenomenon in his native country -- "believes his 'midas touch' will help rejuvenate the magazine" (DAILY MAIL, 7/14).