Former Barcelona star Ronaldinho in prison for using fake passport

In 2005, Brazilian football great, Ronaldinho Gaucho was on top of the sports world. He was fresh off of winning La Liga with Barcelona, and just months away from claiming the Champions League. His great play was recognised during the year with the Balon d’Or, the trophy given to the world’s best footballer. It is a trophy that has been won in more recent years by Barcelona great Lionel Messi, a player that trained and worked with Ronaldinho at Camp Nou for years before making the breakthrough to the first-team squad. Football fans are anticipating the return of La Liga and Barcelona’s attempt to reclaim the league’s title. Fans can use this guide to get a bet bonus to wager on Barcelona’s next match.
Now, 15 years removed from winning the Balon d’Or, Ronaldinho finds himself locked up in Agrupacion Especializada, a maximum-security prison in Paraguay.

Why is Ronaldinho in prison?
The 39-year-old ex-football star was arrested in early March after he attempted to enter Paraguay on a fake passport. According to reports, Ronaldinho and his brother, Roberto de Assis Moreira, had obtained the documents from a sponsor. Football fans will hope that Ronaldinho’s former Barcelona teammates can continue their excellent play in La Liga. The Blaugrana are gearing up for their April showdown with Sevilla and fans can visit Sectorbet to get a bet bonus before wagering on the club they believe will win.
The two brothers are now cellmates in a special wing of the prison catering to high-profile prisoners. The brothers’ cell is just down the hall from Ramon Gonzalez Daher, who is the former vice-president of Paraguay’s football association. Daher is serving a nine-year stretch for money laundering.
Ronaldinho’s current legal issues are not the first of his career. In July 2019, Ronaldinho had 57 properties along with Brazilian and Spanish passports confiscated by authorities due to unpaid taxes and fines. Ronaldinho’s lawyer attempted to bargain for his client’s release with $1.6 million proposed as bail. The ex-footballer also offered his $800,000 home as collateral but a Paraguayan judge shot down the release.
Ronaldinho’s time in jail
It didn’t take long for inmates to take notice of Ronaldinho in the prison. He quickly became the prison’s most sought-after player in its futsal league. The premise sounds like it is straight out of a film as prison teams compete in a tournament with the prize being a roast pig weighing 16 kilograms.
Fridays at the Agrupacion Especializada prison are dedicated to futsal with inmates divided up into teams. According to reports, Ronaldinho did not take part in the tournament itself as his skills were no match for the other inmates. Rather, Ronaldinho played an exhibition match after borrowing futsal boots off of a prison guard. The former Barcelona star led his team to an 11-2 win creating all of his team’s goals.
Back in Ronaldinho’s native Brazil, his incarceration has been met with one popular football videogame mocking him. Bomba Patch, an unlicensed Pro Evolution Soccer 6 modified game, has created a Ronaldinho character complete with black and white stripe prison uniform. There has been no word as to when Ronaldinho will be released from Agrupacion Especializada prison.