BRAZILIAN legend Ronaldinho once slept in his car after a night partying – but still managed to produce a magical five-goal masterclass in a futsal tournament.
The 40-year-old, who reportedly had a bizarre ‘nightclub clause’ in his Flamengo contract, is well-known for his party boy lifestyle.
A legendary story regarding Ronaldinho’s partying has been unearthedCredit: Instagram / @ronaldinho
The Brazilian produced a masterclass despite sleeping in his carCredit: AFP
And he will be hoping to continue having a good time after switching his attention to music after being released from jail last April.
Now talkSPORT’s Sam Matterface has recalled an hilarious insight into the South American’s lifestyle and love of a party from when they worked together in the inaugural Indian Premier Futsal League in 2016.
And even though he was only discovered sleeping in his car moments before kick off, the former Barcelona superstar still scored five for Goa in a 7-2 victory over a Bengaluru side that included Manchester United legend Paul Scholes and former Chelsea striker Hernan Crespo.
Matterface said: “We went to India to do this Premier Futsal tournament – it was absolutely bonkers.
“Oh my word… well he only played one game. They paid him a huge amount of money to come over and play a certain number of minutes over the course of group games.
“Cafu took over him then – not a bad replacement!
“He came and played for one game, scored five goals – went viral, like literally went viral – then went off… that was it. He was done.
“I think he stayed for one of the party nights – in fact I’m pretty sure he stayed for one of the party nights.
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Ronaldinho headed to India for a Futsal tournament in 2016Credit: Getty
“But to get him to play that game everyone was panicking, because he was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t the slickest and most organised event – put it that way.”
He continued: “So where was Ronaldinho? Everyone was in the dressing room asking where he was. Well, he was in a car in a car park having a nap.
“Someone knocked on the window asking him, ‘can you come in?’
“He was literally in his kit, walked out of the car, into the arena, scored five goals, went off – that was it. It was unbelievable.
“He was absolutely different class. It was a wonderful tournament.”
Unfortunately for the 2002 World Cup winner he has suffered some sobering news over recent days.
Ronaldinho’s mother has passed away due to complications arising from coronavirus, local media report.
Despite sleeping in his car after a party, he produced a five-goal performanceCredit: AFP – Getty
Miguelina was admitted to Mae de Deus Hospital in Porto Alegre in December after contracting Covid-19.
Brazil is one of the worst-hit countries during the pandemic with over ten million positive cases and more than 245,000 deaths.
Atletico Mineiro, whom Ronaldinho played for between 2012–2014, were one of the first to offer their condolences online.
They wrote: “[The] club is mourning the death of Dona Miguelina.
“It is with great sadness that Clube Atlético Mineiro receives the news of the death of Dona Miguelina, mother of @10Ronaldinho.
“The Atleticana Family is in mourning and shares the moment of pain with their idol.
“May God welcome you with open arms and comfort the heart of our eternal ace. Rest in peace, Dona Miguelina.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
