This Brazilian soccer legend just bought an $8M Miami-area penthouse. See tour

A retired Brazilian soccer star regarded as one of the greatest players of all time has purchased a South Florida penthouse.

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, known mononymously by his fans as Ronaldo or O Fenômeno, bought a unit in Onda Residences, a 41-unit condo building in Bay Harbor Islands. The 49-year-old former professional soccer player, not to be confused with Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, paid $7.8 million for the condo.

The 5,073 square-foot waterfront penthouse has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a 2,126 square-foot rooftop deck and a private plunge pool. The condo also has a private elevator that opens both into the unit and onto the roof. According to the multiple listing service, the unit was originally listed for $8.7 million.

Dina Goldentayer, a real estate agent with the luxury brokerage Douglas Elliman, represented the developers who sold the unit, Ugo Colombo of CMC Group and Valerio Morabito of Morabito Properties. The penthouse was the last remaining developer-owned unit in Onda, which was completed in 2024.

Goldentayer called Onda, 1135 103rd St., the “most luxurious building” ever built in Bay Harbor.

Talita Pinheiro represented the buyer. She didn’t respond to requests for comment from the Miami Herald.

Goldentayer said athletes and other celebrities continue to buy luxury real estate in Miami-Dade County.

“Miami has always attracted athletes from around the world, Hollywood elites, actors and actresses,” she said. “They’ve always been drawn to the Miami lifestyle.”

To media-shy celebrities, Miami has a private feel with “discretion” and “security,” Goldentayer said, without platoons of paparazzi like in New York and Los Angeles.

Bay Harbor consists of two islands hugging the Broad Causeway, which stretches just west of Bal Harbour to North Miami. Home to about 6,000 people, Bay Harbor Islands may not be as well known its neighbors Bal Harbour, Surfside and Indian Creek, but it’s a destination for luxury buyers looking for picturesque views of Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline. Goldentayer sold Bay Harbor’s most expensive home for around $22 million in 2024.

The soccer star

Ronaldo’s lengthy and successful career as a forward included stints at FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as on the Brazilian national team. He was the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1996, and at the height of his career, he was considered one of the world’s most famous athletes. He officially retired in 2011 at age 34 after a series of knee injuries.

After his retirement, Ronaldo bought ownership in several soccer clubs, including the now-defunct Fort Lauderdale Strikers. He bought a minority share of the club in 2014 with plans to turn the team into a “global powerhouse.”

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