Brazilian former professional football player Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, commonly known as Ronaldo, will open three football schools in China by year-end, Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

“Our first schools will be located in Beijing, Shanghai and Mianyang,” said Paulo Swerts, who is to manage Ronaldo’s football schools in China. “They are expected to start operation in December,” he added. Mianyang is in Sichuan province in Southwest China.

Mr Swerts also said the initiative would provide coaching staff for the football schools in China.

Ronaldo visited Mianyang over the weekend with his Brazilian business partner, Carlos Wizard Martins, a U.S. dollar billionaire, in order to take part in a football promotion event, Xinhua reported.

The Ronaldo Academy, jointly founded by the footballer and Mr Martins, says it plans to open 100 football schools worldwide by 2020, including 30 schools in China.