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5 months ago
27
Ronaldinho made a stunning surprise appearance at Powerleague in Shepherd's Bush during a visit to London with Nike on Friday.
The all-time great was mobbed by stunned spectators after arriving at the West London venue in an eye-catching pink Rolls-Royce emblazoned with the Nike tick.
After stepping out of the vehicle, he was escorted onto one of the pitches and took part in a rowdy event which saw budding footballers trying their luck at goal.
A select group of lucky youngsters then posed for a photo with Ronaldinho, who also made waves on social media after dropping in at Nike Town in Oxford Circus.
Videos posted on X showed his visit brought traffic to a standstill.
Brazil and Barcelona legend Ronaldinho made a shock appearance at Powerleague in London
Ronaldinho took part in a rowdy event at one of the pitches at the venue in Shepherd's Bush
Stunned spectators recorded videos of Ronaldinho being escorted through a large crowd
The Barcelona and Brazil legend held aloft a vibrant pink suitcase and appeared to have a state-of-the-art boot, also in the same shade of pink, strapped to his jacket.
He was in town to launch the brand new Nike 'Mad Brilliance' collection.
The sportswear giants have coated their Air Zoom Mercurial, Phantom and Tiempo Legend ranges in pink hues certain to stand out when worn on pitches worldwide.
Ronaldinho's brief London adventure ensured the latest range from his sponsors, which was placed on sale on May 27, was handed the ultimate seal of approval.
A large crowd had gathered in Oxford Circus to watch the 44-year-old's bombastic arrival, with countless phones held aloft to capture the memorable moment.
Ronaldinho raced to celebrate with a young footballer after they picked out the top corner
He also paid a visit to Nike Town in Oxford Circus and arrived in a pink Nike Rolls-Royce
The luxury vehicle was emblazoned with the large Nike tick down both of the doors
Videos on X showed the large gathering on hand to watch Ronaldinho's memorable arrival
Ronaldinho, meanwhile, is set to feature at a new over-35s World Cup competition alongside other football legends - with matches pencilled in for this summer.
Plans, as first revealed by Mail Sport, are in place to launch an eight-team tournament including England, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Uruguay - the past champions of the regular FIFA World Cup.
Under the proposals, only players who are aged 35 and above and have been capped by their country or made 100 top-flight appearances are eligible to take part.
The provisional squads were circulated and include five former Ballon d'Or winners - Michael Owen, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Fabio Cannavaro.
The quarter-finals are scheduled to be played on June 4 and June 5 with the semi-finals on June 8 before the final on June 11 - ahead of the start of Euro 2024.
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