Legendary Brazil striker Ronaldo Nazario reportedly turned down an opportunity to buy both Brentford and Charlton Athletic, before choosing to invest in Spanish side Real Valladolid.
An interview with FourFourTwo revealed how Ronaldo was contacted by the two London clubs asking if he would be interested in making an investment, only to be put off by the higher prices involved.
Prior to becoming Real Valladolid president, Ronaldo had shares in North American club Fort Lauderdale Strikers before they were dissolved in 2017.
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"I was looking for a team to buy and had the help of a few people with it," explained the two-time World Cup winner.
"There were plenty of opportunities in England, and still are, but since the local leagues are probably the most organised and valuable in the world, the clubs there end up having a far higher valuation than anywhere else in Europe. It's really interesting.
"Now we all see the Premier League leading the way in the football industry while the other leagues are doing their best to catch up financially, because competing with English football is so difficult these days.
"Back then, there were some opportunities. Brentford were one of the teams offered to me; I got to talk with them and understand the business plan, and it was very nice.
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"There were also clubs in the third tier with massive potential - Charlton, a London side with big tradition, approached me as well.
"But these were all opportunities requiring investment of more than £50m. In the end, I decided to purchase Valladolid for a cheaper price and keep the quality of life that I have in Madrid.
"The short distance between Madrid and Valladolid is very important because it allows me to stay close to my business the whole time, so I think it was the best decision that I could have made."
But the Brazilian icon is refusing to rule out investing in an English club in the near future, meaning we could yet see the two-time Ballon d'or winner in a directors' box on these shores.
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"The English league remains a goal for me in the near future," he added.
"Because when I first started at Valladolid, my idea was to expand the business and try to build a network of teams. Obviously, since I was putting money into Valladolid from my own pocket, I didn't possess the liquidity to invest in other teams simultaneously - and, to be honest, another project at that point would have made things more complicated. But I'm extremely happy with how things are going around here."
Topics: Ronaldo Nazario, Charlton Athletic, Brentford, Ronaldo, Real Valladolid, Premier League, Brazil