In this week’s Offbeat Wednesday, Mario Balotelli is the “most interesting man” in the world, Oscar reveals his best friends at Chelsea and Man United donate socks in aid of the Japanese tsunami.
AC Milan’s Mario Balotelli may seem like the most complicated footballers in the 21st century, but in this selfie snapped with his girlfriend Fanny Naguesha, he looks completely at ease!
After overcoming a crisis at the end of last year, the couple reunited this year and Belgian model Naguesha, whom he met in November 2012, wrote : “The most interesting man in the world. I can not imagine my life without you. You are my love, my best friend, my strength and my weakness. I love you. Forever mine, Forever yours, forever us!”
Altogether now, awww!
It’s a huge year for Chelsea’s Brazilian midfielder, Oscar, who has plenty to look forward to both on and off the pitch.
His wife, a Japanese Brazilian named Ludmila, recently announced that she was pregnant and was due to give birth one month before the World Cup in Brazil.
As a result, Oscar had made a joking reference to another famous Brazilian, Bebeto, who scored and marked the birth of his child by doing the famous baby ‘cradle rocking’ celebration at the 1994 World Cup.
He said he may “attempt something similar” to celebrate the birth of his first child, if he scores at the showpiece tournament, but his current trademark L-shaped goal celebration for his wife remains his favourite.
“Bebeto’s ‘cradle’ celebration really defined the World Cup, and now it may happen to me!” he said enthusiastically, on Brazilian TV channel ‘Terra’.
Although Oscar enjoys a relatively low-profile lifestyle in London compared to his other Premiership teammates, he admitted that both Ludmila – or “Ludy” as her friends call her – are close friends with fellow Chelsea stars David Luiz and Ramires.
“At least once a week, we have lunch or dinner together. Our families are always together as well. It’s really important that I have them around,” Oscar said. Meanwhile, World Cup betting sites have declared Brazil as favourites to pick up the trophy in June.
In addition, the couple are often seen enjoying themselves at birthday and Halloween parties thrown by the club’s resident clown, Luiz.
And although the language posed a problem when he first moved to London, it was Oscar’s wife and childhood sweetheart, Ludmila, and the friendship of his Portuguese-speaking teammates that helped him most.
The couple also share a common passion for social work and helping the needy.
In December 2011, Oscar and Ludmila asked their wedding guests to bring food and toys to their ceremony instead of gifts. They then donated what they had collected to charities in America.
“I feel lucky to have come to London as my first home in Europe. You can find whatever you like to do. I don’t even want to go to Brazil for holidays,” he said recently.
Clearly settled at the club now, Oscar was also as player responsible for “killing off” Juan Mata’s glittering career at Chelsea, which saw him eventually leave for rivals Man United.
Rumours had been swirling that Oscar was favoured by Jose Mourinho in the number 10 role, but he will have to look forward to the World Cup in Brazil now.
“I bet the ace with be the Brazilian team, I hope all of us are superstars and can be champions,” he said in a recent interview.
Man United players are giving away their match-worn socks for charity to help in efforts to rebuild devastated regions of Japan after the earthquake and tsunami three years ago.
And although some may find this to be a tasteless campaign, it can also be seen as innovative.
The worn socks will be used to make ‘Onukun’ dolls for residents who lost their homes in Tohoku, the eastern region that was ravaged by the natural disaster.
Japan and United playmaker Shinji Kagawa, left back Alex Buttner and fellow defender Phil Jones were also seen posing with match-day socks with the support of a regeneration football schools project.
