It's probably one of the safest bets
in sport to assume he celebrated in style. That's something that
Ronaldinho has never lost - the ability to throw a damn good party.
It
was his 34th birthday on Friday. And we trust that the man who courted
controversy in the Brazilian off-season when an image of him standing in
front of a harem of bikini-clad girls went viral, marked the occasion
like only he knows how. Continue reading...
But
images of him partying it up three months out from a World Cup on home
soil that could have been the crowning moment for one of the game's
magicians don't make for a happy picture. This could have and should
have been his time.
Is 34 too old for a World Cup in the
modern game? It's probably worth asking three other 34-year-olds who
will travel to Brazil with their country's hopes on their backs: Andrea
Pirlo, Xavi and Steven Gerrard.
In
those outrageous, breath-stealing years at Barcelona, Ronaldinho never
relied on pace anyway. No one with his skill set could possibly rely on
any one factor. The body and those feet would be more than able to light
up the summer. It's the mind and the heart that are the problem.
There
was to be no 34th birthday present forthcoming from the brains trust
behind the Brazilian national team though. No gift-wrapped olive branch
or second or third chance.
In fact, Luis Felipe Scolari's assistant
Carlos Alberto Parreira pooped the party by picking this weekend as the
opportune time to confirm that Ronaldinho will definitely not be part of
their drive for glory.
He 'lacked dedication and consistency' in his
national team career, said Parreira, unlikely to be invited to the 35th
shindig you'd have to imagine.
posted by Emanto Ngaloru March 25, 2014.
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