From Cristiano Ronaldo to Ronaldinho: how these 10 soccer stars earned UAE Golden Visas and made Emirates second dwelling for enterprise and past

The UAE has spent years attracting a few of soccer’s largest names, however its Golden Visa programme affords greater than a handy means for world stars to go to the Emirates. Since the federal government expanded eligibility to distinctive sporting expertise in 2020, footballers have used their connections with the nation in numerous methods, from establishing companies and investing in native soccer to constructing media ventures and growing alternatives for younger gamers. Here are 10 footballers who acquired the coveted residency, and what their relationships with the UAE have regarded like past the preliminary bulletins.

What is the UAE Golden Visa, and why did footballers develop into eligible?

The UAE launched its Golden Residency programme in 2019 underneath an initiative introduced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the nation’s Vice-President and Prime Minister and Dubai’s ruler. Initially related to buyers, entrepreneurs and specialised professionals, the programme provided eligible overseas nationals a longer-term various to traditional residence permits tied to employment or native sponsorship.A major enlargement adopted in 2020, when the UAE Cabinet prolonged the 10-year residency pathway to distinctive sporting expertise. The Dubai Sports Council helped convey distinguished global athletes into the programme, with Cristiano Ronaldo and several other different soccer stars forming a part of the primary sporting cohort.The change mirrored an ambition extending past attracting well-known guests. Under the UAE’s financial diversification technique, together with the longer-term goals related to We the UAE 2031 and Dubai’s D33 Economic Agenda, world expertise may also help strengthen industries past oil, together with expertise, tourism, healthcare, training {and professional} sport.Footballers provide a very seen connection between these ambitions and the broader public. Their global audiences can convey consideration to native sporting amenities, youth improvement programmes, business partnerships and financial backing alternatives, whereas some recipients have gone on to determine extra direct skilled or enterprise ties with the nation.

What does the Golden Visa provide, and who can qualify?

The Golden Visa is a renewable, long-term residency allow that enables eligible overseas nationals to dwell, work, examine and put money into the UAE with out requiring an employer or one other native sponsor to take care of their residency. Depending on the relevant class and eligibility circumstances, the allow can final 5 or 10 years.Its fundamental advantages embrace:

Following the enlargement, the programme now covers a number of classes, together with property buyers, entrepreneurs, scientists, expert professionals, excellent college students and graduates, humanitarian pioneers, and distinctive skills in sport, tradition and the humanities. Each pathway has its personal standards and software or nomination course of, so receiving the visa doesn’t essentially require shopping for property or taking over employment with a UAE-based organisation.For footballers, the expanded sporting class created a path to long-term residency primarily based on distinctive achievement and expertise, relatively than requiring them to go away their present golf equipment and transfer to the Emirates.

Ten footballers who acquired the UAE Golden Visa

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (February 2020)

Portuguese ahead Cristiano Ronaldo acquired his 10-year UAE Golden Visa in February 2020 whereas taking part in for Juventus, changing into some of the distinguished beneficiaries of the newly expanded sporting class. The recognition adopted his sixth Best Men’s Player accolade on the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards on 29 December 2019, reflecting each his global standing and his established relationship with the Emirate.His placement within the inaugural sporting cohort demonstrated that an athlete might keep an lively profession overseas whereas holding long-term UAE residency. Ronaldo subsequently signed with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia in January 2023, extending his dedication by June 2027, whereas often visiting Dubai for private {and professional} obligations. To anchor this long-term connection to the area, Ronaldo expanded his global actual property portfolio by buying a €25 million plot of land on Jumeirah Bay Island—a extremely unique, seahorse-shaped enclave broadly referred to as “Billionaire Island”. The acquisition was made to assemble a customized waterfront mega-mansion, offering a everlasting household base within the UAE only a brief distance from his soccer commitments in Riyadh.

His relationship with the Emirates additionally includes a distinguished private dimension, highlighted by a well-documented friendship with the Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum. Ronaldo has repeatedly spoken warmly of town, stating throughout an look at Expo 2020 Dubai on 28 January 2022: “I thank all my followers… I really like Dubai, its tradition and its individuals, and I go to Dubai yearly, and I’m very glad to be right here.”

2. Didier Drogba (November 2020)

Former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba acquired his Golden Visa in November 2020, when Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Marri, director of Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, welcomed him on the division’s headquarters to current the residency card.The recognition got here after a adorned profession that included 4 English Premier League titles and a Champions League crown with Chelsea. Drogba was additionally offered with the Medal of First Line of Defence in appreciation of his assist for the Dubai Sports Council’s Be Fit, Be Safe marketing campaign, which inspired residents to prioritise bodily wellbeing in the course of the pandemic.

His reference to Dubai prolonged past soccer, with the previous striker exploring alternatives involving business property, sports activities academies and the broader sports activities sector. He has additionally participated in global enterprise occasions, together with AIBC Eurasia, bringing his sporting profile into discussions round rising expertise, blockchain and financial backing.

3. Ronaldinho (May 2021)

Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldinho, whose full identify is Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, acquired his 10-year Golden Visa in May 2021 by Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs. Major General Mohammed Al Marri and his deputy, Major General Obaid Muhair bin Surour, have been current when the previous Barcelona and AC Milan playmaker acquired the residency.Ronaldinho’s relationship with the UAE has included ambitions round youth soccer and wider sporting partnerships. He signed a strategic memorandum of understanding with Abu Dhabi-based Palms Sports, establishing a framework supposed to mix elite athletic improvement with tutorial alternatives for younger Emirati athletes.He has additionally laid the groundwork for a Ronaldinho Football Academy in Dubai, with the proposed challenge centred on structured teaching and the Brazilian strategy to attacking soccer generally related to Joga Bonito. His wider appearances throughout the area have included sports activities occasions, company gatherings and digital-technology exhibitions, the place his world profile attracts audiences past conventional soccer supporters.Ronaldinho has usually visited and educated in Dubai since his youth, making town a well-recognized base for his regional engagements. His Golden Visa supplies long-term residency flexibility whereas he explores sporting, business and cultural alternatives throughout the Emirates.

4. Paul Pogba (February 2020)

French midfielder and World Cup winner Paul Pogba was among the many elite sporting figures granted a UAE Golden Visa in February 2020. At the time, the previous Manchester United star had already established a robust reference to Dubai, usually using town’s sports activities transport systems for low season conditioning and warm-weather coaching.Dubai’s high-performance coaching centres have been central to Pogba’s conditioning and rehabilitation, significantly at Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex and Transform Altitude Performance Center. He has additionally supported native health campaigns with the Dubai Sports Council and mentored younger gamers at neighborhood occasions.

His regional pursuits have since expanded past soccer into conventional Gulf sports activities tradition. In late 2025, Pogba turned a big shareholder and world ambassador for Al Haboob, the global community’s first skilled camel racing staff. The Saudi-founded group competes closely throughout the UAE and the broader Gulf area, aiming to modernize the game by introducing superior sports activities science, knowledge monitoring, and robotic jockey expertise. Pogba’s involvement is meant to assist elevate camel racing to a world viewers, bridging the hole between historic heritage and trendy skilled sports activities administration.

5. Romelu Lukaku (February 2020)

Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku was one other large identify from that preliminary wave of sports activities stars to safe a UAE Golden Visa in February 2020, proper whereas he was dominating Serie A with Inter Milan. The long-term residency was an enormous nod to his standing as considered one of Europe’s high forwards, giving him a everlasting tie to the Emirates with out having to uproot his membership profession.Lukaku’s Dubai connection grew on the 14th Dubai International Sports Conference, the place he joined João Félix and Mikael Silvestre to debate soccer expertise. He additionally spoke about dealing with on-line racism, urging younger gamers to make use of social media positively. The occasion ended with a viral second when a UAE royal offered him with a golden plaque that misspelled his identify as “Romello”.

When he isn’t talking at summits, Lukaku makes use of Dubai as his final reset button. He’s a daily on the world-class Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex throughout league winter breaks, utilizing the nice and cozy climate and high-tech amenities to maintain his conditioning at an elite degree. His routine suits completely into Dubai’s push to develop into the worldwide capital for low season athletic restoration.

6. Luís Figo (February 2020)

Former Portugal global Luís Figo, the 2000 Ballon d’Or winner who performed for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, acquired his Golden Visa as a part of the February 2020 sporting initiative. The residency recognised his profession on the highest degree whereas giving him a long-term base for skilled and business actions throughout the area.Figo has maintained hyperlinks with Dubai by model partnerships and sporting occasions, together with collaborations with Mastercard Middle East and Africa throughout Expo 2020 Dubai. His appearances included fan meet-and-greet periods and promotional actions that includes the UEFA Champions League trophy.

He additionally participated in a Guinness World Record initiative involving the highest-altitude soccer match performed on a parabolic flight, a marketing campaign coordinated by Dubai. Alongside these business engagements, Figo supported the Dubai Sports Council’s Be Fit, Be Safe marketing campaign in the course of the pandemic, encouraging residents to stay bodily lively whereas public areas have been restricted.His post-playing profession has more and more concerned ambassadorial work and global enterprise occasions, making the Golden Visa a helpful basis for sustaining commitments throughout Europe and the Middle East.

7. Roberto Carlos (February 2020)

Brazilian World Cup winner and former Real Madrid left-back Roberto Carlos acquired his Golden Visa in February 2020, becoming a member of a bunch of soccer legends recognised for his or her sporting achievements and connections with the Emirates. His relationship with Dubai has included exhibition matches, neighborhood health initiatives and youth soccer improvement.In August 2026, Carlos turned a co-owner and shareholder of Dubai-based Fursan Hispania FC, alongside former footballers Michel Salgado and Fernando Hierro. The membership’s youth improvement ambitions provide him a extra direct function within the native sport, utilizing global soccer connections and technical expertise to assist develop younger gamers and create pathways in direction of skilled alternatives in Europe.

Carlos has additionally supported the Real Madrid Foundation’s work within the UAE by a partnership with ISD Sports City, serving to launch an academic soccer programme on the ISD La Liga Academy campus. The initiative supplies coaching for greater than 1,000 younger footballers.His work additionally consists of youth clinics and appearances selling Real Madrid World at Dubai Parks and Resorts, extending his involvement from soccer improvement into the UAE’s sports activities tourism sector.

8. Miralem Pjanić (February 2020)

Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanić acquired his Golden Visa in February 2020 whereas taking part in for Juventus, changing into one of many lively European footballers included within the programme’s first sporting cohort. His subsequent profession gave him a very direct reference to the Emirates when he left Barcelona in September 2022 to hitch Sharjah FC.Unlike recipients whose UAE relationships have centred primarily on visits and business appearances, Pjanić performed within the UAE Pro League for 2 seasons between 2022 and 2024. His expertise at Juventus and Barcelona introduced elite European expertise into the home competitors, and he helped Sharjah win the UAE President’s Cup and the UAE League Cup.During his time within the nation, Pjanić additionally had alternatives to mentor youthful home gamers, sharing expertise from years competing on the highest ranges of European soccer. Following his UAE spell and later taking part in profession, he maintained ties with Dubai and have become concerned with Mundial Football Academy, a enterprise centered on figuring out and coaching grassroots expertise utilizing high-performance soccer strategies.

9. Rio Ferdinand (2021)

Former Manchester United and England captain Rio Ferdinand transitioned to a everlasting life within the UAE in August 2025, relocating his household to a £6.5 million mansion in Dubai’s luxurious Al Barari neighborhood. This transfer adopted his departure from his distinguished UK punditry function at TNT Sports in May 2025. While he loved a long-standing relationship with the area, this relocation marked the formal institution of Dubai because the central base for his media work, enterprise pursuits, and 10-year UAE Golden Visa residency framework.

Ferdinand has since actively scaled his digital media platform, Rio Presents, whereas anchoring himself within the UAE’s increasing creator financial system. He was featured as a distinguished fireplace speaker at Dubai’s 1 Billion Followers Summit, the place he mentioned the way forward for digital media and the way trendy creators can construct sustainable global audiences independently of conventional tv.Beyond media, his regional enterprise actions lengthen into actual property by strategic partnerships with distinguished corporations like LEOS Developments. In the sports activities and tourism sector, he co-operates Football Escapes, a premium vacation soccer teaching idea that organizes youth camps led by UEFA-licensed former professionals at luxurious resorts.Ferdinand and his spouse, Kate, additionally interact with the area people by public wellness initiatives, together with health occasions hosted at Jumeirah Beach close to the Burj Al Arab.

10. Patrice Evra (2021)

Former Manchester United champion and French nationwide staff captain Patrice Evra was awarded his UAE Golden Visa again in 2021 underneath the exceptional-talent framework. . Since then, he has totally leaned into the native life-style, famously calling Dubai his “dwelling candy dwelling” and basing himself out of a luxurious penthouse on the Palm Jumeirah.Instead of simply having fun with retirement, Evra has used his long-term visa to pivot right into a severe second profession as a Dubai-based innovator. He has arrange a number of firms within the UAE protecting every part from magnificence and health to deep tech. In truth, whereas talking at regional enterprise occasions just like the Invest in Sharjah discussion board and Token2049 Dubai, he identified simply how a lot of a game-changer the area’s geography is for a world enterprise. He famous that with almost two-thirds of the global community’s inhabitants sitting inside an eight-hour flight, operating a world empire from Dubai feels a global community away from his outdated days managing firms within the UK, the place he felt completely remoted from fast-growing exchanges like Asia.

Lately, Evra has been bridging the hole between actual property and sports activities expertise. He formally partnered with UAE developer Major Developments as a core challenge associate for Colibri Views, an enormous new high-rise challenge at RAK Central in Ras Al Khaimah. Evra truly designed the crown jewel of the tower himself: the UAE’s very first rooftop Footbot simulator. It’s an AI-driven, high-tech soccer enviornment filled with sensible movement sensors and efficiency monitoring to assist residents prepare like elite execs.On high of the business tech, he’s additionally centered on grassroots soccer by his Dubai-based challenge, Love This Game FC. The complete concept is to scout and prepare younger native expertise within the UAE, giving them an actual pathway to attain skilled trials over in Europe and the UK.