Perhaps this is a first glimpse of what comes next, now that an extraordinary career has reached its final stages and Ronaldo is left with one last target: one thousand goals in total. Among the many projects he has pursued away from football, Cristiano Ronaldo has recently taken a growing interest in the media world. He has invested in a Brazilian streaming platform that secured domestic rights to the World Cup, and he is now producing a series built around the world of football agents. The detail that stands out is that he has also decided to become part of the cast, making his acting debut in the same project. After all, he is the one putting it together. According to the Sun, the Portuguese star is working with director Matthew Vaughn, the creator of the Kingsman franchise, on a television series set within the world of British football agents. The central role will be played by Damian Lewis, with several football figures joining the cast.
Titled Day 1s, the series comes from an original idea by agent Darren Dein and has already entered production in London. It will tell the fictional story of Stanley Dalton, a football agent dealing with the hidden side of professional football. The cast is also expected to include former striker Thierry Henry and British rapper Dave. The project recalls The Playoffs, a Brazilian series produced by Globo and centred on a football agent, starring Cauã Reymond. Day 1s is the first production to emerge from the partnership between Ronaldo’s company, UR•Marv Studios, and Matthew Vaughn, a joint venture announced last year alongside the British director’s Marv Studios. At the launch of the company, it was announced that the studio had already completed two sports-themed films, with the aim of “combining innovative technologies without losing its connection to tradition”. According to Deadline, Day 1s will be financed independently by UR•Marv.
Matthew Vaughn is one of the most recognised British directors of the last few decades. His work includes Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Layer Cake, X-Men: First Class and the hugely successful Kingsman franchise. At 41, Ronaldo continues to play for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, but his attention is increasingly moving towards the years beyond football. The last World Cup marked the end of his journey in the competition: Portugal were eliminated in the round of 16 by Spain, the eventual champions, bringing to a close one of the most iconic World Cup stories of the modern era. Retirement can wait, but should the series prove successful, Ronaldo could follow the path of another great Manchester United number 7, Eric Cantona, who went on to become an acclaimed figure in French cinema.