Brazilian football star Ronaldinho Gaucho apparently continues to shine in the world's most popular sport even after officially retiring in 2018, this time not in some grand tournament though, but in a semi-annual futsal match at a prison in Asuncion, Paraguay. The athlete scored 5 goals and assisted in 6 more helping lead his team to an 11-2 victory.
Volvió #LaSonrisaDelFutbol 😃⚽️
— Santiago Ravidlas (@SantiRavidlasPy) March 13, 2020
Dale un balón, y @10Ronaldinho es feliz... y Campeón, juegue donde juegue. 🙌🏼🏆#Ronaldinho #Dinho pic.twitter.com/s5IEBLqk2u
Several journalists and media outlets published photos and a video allegedly depicting the match.
@10Ronaldinho scored 5 in a 11-2 win for his prison side.
— Sikka Sports (@SikkaSports895) March 14, 2020
Ronaldinho picks up another trophy, arguably means more to him than the World Cup, the winning team also get a 16 kilo pig for the bbq.
Would you go to jail in Paraguay for the chance to play against Dinho? #SikkaSports pic.twitter.com/ErGdnIJ1om
Ronaldinho's efforts not only helped his team win, but also earned them a 16-kilo suckling pig for a barbeque party that came as the main prize, according to a report by the website Sport.es.
The football star ended up in a Paraguayan jail on 9 March 2020 over accusations that he entered the country along with his brother using fake passports. Their lawyer confirmed that the documents, found by the police during a search at their hotel suite, were fake, but insisted that the two received them as a gift from an unnamed businessman. He hasn't clarified why the brothers chose to use fake documents.
At the same time, earlier media reports suggested that Ronaldinho's Brazilian and Spanish passports were confiscated by the authorities over the athlete's debts and unpaid taxes in July 2019. There has been no official confirmation of these reports so far.