Who is Champions League draw host Pedro Pinto?
PEDRO Pinto has become a familiar face in the world of sport.
From his rise to success to his career highlights – here’s everything you need to know about Champions League draw host Pedro Pinto.
Who is Pedro Pinto?
Pedro Pinto, born January 28, 1975, is a Portuguese-American journalist and presenter.
He has over 25 years’ experience in media, communications and sport.
Born in Lisbon, Portugal, Pinto relocated to the US for college and graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in communications and marketing.
He also earned a degree from the Carolina School of Broadcasting.
Upon graduating, Pinto began his career as a TV presenter, hosting programmes back in Portugal.
Then, in 1998 he was hired by CNN International to become a sports anchor and correspondent based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Pinto was one of the hosts of the global sports show “World Sport” and in his role, he also had the opportunity to cover a number of events, including the 2002 FIFA World Cup and several UEFA Champions League finals.
After a brief return to Portuguese television, Pinto took up another role with CNN, this time in London.
In this job, he interviewed major sports stars such as tennis legends Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, as well as football’s Sir Alex Ferguson and Pelé.
Other career highlights include hosting the Ballon d’Or and the UEFA Champions League draw.
Aside from finding success in the world of sports, Pinto is also a businessman.
He is the founder and CEO of Empower Sports – a sports communications agency with offices in Lisbon, London, and São Paulo.
His communications agency works with various players, coaches, clubs, and federations.
As of December 2023, Pinto boasts an impressive 24,000 fans and followers on the social media platform Instagram – where he describes himself as CEO, TV host, and Communications Consultant.
The businessman also holds an account on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, where he interacts with over 70,000 fans and followers.
Pinto is also fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish and has a “good working knowledge” of French, according to his LinkedIn.
What does Pedro Pinto do at UEFA?
According to his official business website: ‘’Pinto was in charge of UEFA’s communications department from 2014 to 2018, leading all editorial and digital content, the press office and corporate communications campaigns for European Football’s Governing Body.”
The website adds: ”While at UEFA, Pedro also created the award-winning #EqualGame campaign, featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Leo Messi, and Paul Pogba, which promoted inclusion and diversity.’’
Although he left his role in 2018, Pinto has stayed involved with UEFA and still hosts the Champions League draws.
In August 2023, the draw, presented by Reshmin Chowdhury and Pedro Pinto, took place in Monaco.