Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Ben Hayward

Ronaldinho spends 40th birthday in Paraguayan prison as inmates organise barbecue party for Barcelona legend

Barcelona and Brazil legend Ronaldinho is spending his 40th birthday in a Paraguayan prison.

The World Cup winner was jailed earlier this month along with his brother after entering the South American country with a fake passport.

Ronaldinho took part in a football tournament in the prison last week and led his team to victory and the first prize – a 16kg suckling pig.

Due to the coronavirus shutdown, the Brazilian legend has had to spend more time in prison than was originally expected, but reports in the local media said inmates had organised a barbecue on Saturday to keep the former Ballon d'Or winner in good spirits on his 40th birthday.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo and Rivaldo sent messages of support to their former Brazil team-mate on Instagram.

"May you overcome this difficult stage of your life with the same joy as usual," Ronaldo wrote. And in his post, Rivaldo said: "May God bless you greatly and give you a lot of strength to get through this very difficult time. Praying and always rooting for you."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.