On Monday 27th April, Ronaldinho gave his first interview after the fake passport incident in Paraguay, and he expressed concerns about the impact this imprisonment had on his mum.
“It was a heavy blow, she really had a difficult time since the covid-19 outbreak started. The first thing I’m going to do when I see her… is give my mum a kiss” said Ronaldinho.
In order to leave the Paraguayan prison, he had to pay 1.6 million USD to be granted bail. Thus, him and his brother currently remain under house arrest in a Hotel in Paraguay, until the investigation of this fraud network gets dismantled. Ronaldinho said he doesn’t want to leave the country until this case gets resolved.
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Ronaldinho and the former Brazilian President Lula -
Brothers Assis with President Bolsonaro
Risky investments in Paraguay
The former Brazilian footballer flew to Asunción with his brother who is his business agent. “Everything we did was in virtue of the contracts managed by my brother”, also admitting that their trip to Paraguay was mandatory and it was necessary for him to be present.
These mandatory events were due to the release of his book “Gênio da Vida” (Genius of Life) set up by a Paraguayan organisation and the rumour around the launch of an online casino. What a story this future online casino will have behind its creation. This trip to Paraguay also involved a health initiative campaign for underprivileged children.
Prior to his arrest in Paraguay, the former footballer was accused of a possible involvement in a crypto-currency scam that allegedly was used under his name and caused harm to 150 people. This case has not currently been proven and is under investigation.
Ronaldinho’s rumours with Justice
Outside the football pitch, Ronaldinho is a risk-taker as he supposedly owns the headquarters of a project named “WinPoker”, although throughout my research this isn’t proven.
The home of “WinPoker” is a betting shop that was once called “Winfil” and it was used to carry out illegal activities regarding bingo, slot machines and irregular betting systems were found in the shop, however it’s not known if Ronaldinho owned the shop at that time. According to the newspaper “Jornal de Brasília” 400 slots machines were once confiscated at Winfil facilities.
Conclusion
Above all, let’s not forget about Ronaldinho’s achievements as an athlete, he was essential in the fifth championship of the Brazilian national team, helped with the rebuilding of Barcelona, and won 2 golden ballon d’Ors. He will be remembered forever as one of the greatest players to wear the shirt number 10 (playermaker), as also acknowledged in Talk Sport (2018).
