Real Madrid’s Vinícius Junior is in talks to purchase a soccer club.
While Real Madrid are preparing for their Spanish Super Cup final against FC Barcelona on Sunday, their forward Vinícius Júnior is in talks to complete the purchase of a Portuguese soccer club.
He is believed to be negotiating an agreement to takeover Liga Portugal 2 side Futebol Clube de Alverca, who currently sit eighth in the second tier of Portuguese soccer. The club is based in Alverca do Ribatejo on the outskirts of the national capital of Lisbon.
Portuguese media outlet Record claims that a deal is close to completion, which will be worth €10 million ($10.25 million). The article claims that Vinícius is supported in the venture by a group of investors, though few details have been revealed about the backing.
Vinícius Júnior’s business interests
Vinícius Júnior is worth $55 million in 2025, according to Forbes, with a salary of $40 million and a further $15 million in endorsements, including notable sponsors like Nike, Gatorade, Pepsi, Unilever and Sony. That wealth places him seventh in Forbes’ world’s highest-earning soccer players in 2024.
Spanish newspaper La Razón claim that Vinícius employs 39 people, including 12 exclusively, among whom many are involved in monitoring his fitness, training and nutrition. He is also the registered owner of Papa Media House SL, an agency which represents soccer players and was founded in 2021.
Vinícius has become one of the sport’s most marketable figures, leading a new generation of talent. That is particularly true in Latin America, where he is also leading a poignant fight against racism after being subjected to abuse from rival fans in Spain. His campaigns have led to the production of an ongoing documentary with Netflix, which is set for release in 2025.
The soccer star’s contract with Real Madrid is believed to include a release clause worth in excess of $1 billion, making it one of the largest such clauses in soccer. He has been linked with interest from Saudi Arabian clubs in the past year, but no side in world spot is able to meet Real Madrid’s demands for his services.
Who are FC Alverca?
FC Alverca were founded in 1939 and went bust due to financial difficulties in 2005 after five seasons in the top flight of Portuguese soccer in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The club was reformed in 2006, starting from the regional tiers of Portuguese soccer in Lisbon, and has worked their way up through the divisions. In 2023/24, the club won promotion to the second level, Liga Portugal 2.
Playing at Complexo Desportivo FC Alverca, with a capacity of 7,705, the club has enjoyed highs including a 2019 Taça de Portugal upset against giants Sporting Clube de Portugal, though the side were devastated when one of their goalscorers that night, Alex Apolinário, suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for Alverca in a match in early 2021.
The previously-mentioned report from Record claims that Vinícius also considered a move for Leixões Sport Club, who are currently positioned 10th in Liga Portugal 2, but eventually opted to pursue a bid to takeover Alverca.
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