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Brazil great Ronaldo to cycle 500km after Real Valladolid promotion promise

Brazil great Ronaldo will cycle more than 500 kilometres in four days to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela to fulfil the promise he made if his club Real Valladolid gained promotion to LaLiga.

Valladolid clinched automatic promotion to Spain's top flight on their first attempt last weekend.

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Ronaldo, who became Valladolid's majority shareholder in 2018, has revealed he will do the pilgrimage route from Valladolid to Santiago de Compostela, the culmination of the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James), in five stages with his wife.

"To celebrate Valladolid's automatic promotion, I made a promise a long time ago, even when we were relegated," Ronaldo said 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."

Speaking to Spanish publication El Norte de Castilla, Ronaldo, 45, compared Valladolid's promotion to LaLiga "right there next to [his winning the] 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea."

The former Real Madrid and Barcelona forward finished top scorer of the 2002 tournament with eight goals and two came against Germany in the final.

Ronaldo is also owner of Brazilian second division club Cruzeiro, where he played in his teenage years before moving to Europe.