International Football
RONALDINHO CELEBRATES 40TH BIRTHDAY WITH BIG BARBECUE IN PRISON
Look, no-one likes to see one of the game’s greatest ever entertainers spending a landmark birthday behind bars.
But if anyone can spend six months in detention in
a Paraguayan prison and come out unscathed with his reputation intact, then
it’s Ronaldinho.
The man personifies the term ‘water off a duck’s back’. That was indicated when the first images emerged of him smiling away to himself behind bars two weeks ago, and it’s come to the fore once again – as another image has emerged on social media of his cheesing grin.
The picture, credited to Argentina-based journalist Raphael Sibilla, shows him looking particularly pleased to himself to have polished off his plate, which came courtesy of an absolutely massive barbecue organised for him by his fellow inmates.
He’s a popular guy in football, and it seems that hasn’t changed behind bars. Although his talents on the pitch seem to have helped; just last week he won his prison team a 16kg piglet when he racked up five goals and six assists in an 11-2 victory. It’s unconfirmed, but that may well have been the source of the monumental skewer of meat you see before you.
The former PSG, Barcelona and Milan star was arrested earlier this month, and is facing up to six months in jail while Paraguayan authorities investigate allegations that he attempted to enter the country with a falsified passport.
Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto may well have the book thrown at them in the months to come, but their lawyer Sergio Queiroz claims ‘no harm has been done’ by their alleged actions.
“They confessed that they used these false passports, but there was no harm done to the Paraguayan state,” he said. “Roberto and Ronaldinho did not know that the passports were irregular. And they cooperated fully with authorities.”
-90MIN
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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