Fútbolita

¿Que hubo amigos?! We’re back with some Brasileirao highlights from the weekend’s games! Corinthians (who failed in their quest to sign Guti. Really?) defeated Barueri 2-1, thanks to goals from Souza and Jean. Ronaldo Lima was rested in the game due to a muscle injury he picked up. He’s likely to barbecue be rested for Wednesday’s Brazilian cup game against Vasco.

Unfortunately, Santos reduced Fluminense to batter thanks to a 4-1 victory at the Maracana. Well, fluzão had better believe that they made a good investment in Adriano – something we know you are struggling to believe.

Gremio (see below) also defeated Botafogo 2-0 at the Olimpico stadium and the game saw the debut of new coach Paulo Autuori while Internacional came away with a 1-0 victory away at Goiás thanks to a goal from Taison.

Why so serious, Neymar? Well, it must be the fact that Santos only managed a 3-3 draw against Goiás at home in the Brazilian championship yesterday. Pele was present in the stands and they probably placed the microphones near him so he could out talk the commentator. Immense pressure all around!

In another game, Internacional handed victory on a plate to Palmeiras, thanks to goals from Danny Morais and Argentinean midfielder Andres D’Alessandro. The substitute scored the second goal thanks to his left-footed shot near the penalty box to make it 2-0. Watch the goals below!

Defending champions Sao Paulo came back from their opening defeat with a 2-2 draw against Atletico Paranaense at the Morumbi stadium. Elswhere, Botafogo held an exasperated Ronaldo to a goaless draw against his team, Corinthians.

Our favourite part has to be when all the players unzip their tracksuit jackets to reveal the new kits in unison. They must’ve spent some time rehearsing and synchronizing everything. Caras even forgot that they were playing Internacional on the same day!

Your eyes are not playing tricks on you – it’s really Ronaldo Lima heading the ball to President Lula in the state’s Office of Presidency. The striker visited the World’s Coolest President to pass him a Corinthians shirt and a ball autographed by all the players.

Lula also told Ronaldo, “When you enter the field, know that I am watching.” If that isn’t pressure to perform, we don’t know what is!

The club’s president, Andres Sanchez was also present to meet Lula, who claimed during the meeting that Ronaldo is not fat but merely a ‘baby’. Yeah, we don’t get that either.

Check out the video below – Lula’s header is amusingly epic!

Promising U-17 winger, Dodo (not affiliated to the extinct bird in anyway, por favor) has caught the eye of the hawks at ForeignChester United. Is it us or have their scouts been going to Brazil a lot lately?

It now appears that a deal is in place for young Dodo to play for United when he turns 18 next year after the club bought him over from Corinthians for €6 million.

The player has traveled to England, where he will be training for two weeks with the club. This arrangement will be done every three months for him to adapt to the douchebags at ForeignChester United. When he goes back to Brazil, he will continue playing for the Corinthians youth divisions.

And we all know that the Da Silva twins have prepared a feast in honour of Dodo’s arrival!

Newlywed Nilmar scored a fantastic goal for Internacional to seal a 1-0 victory over Corinthians in the opening game of the Brasileirao yesterday. You have to see it… it’s unbelievable!

“Nilmar scored a (great) goal and to me, he is the best striker in Brazil,” said Coach Tite after the game. Sim, we’ve given up trying to find out why the man hasn’t moved to Europe yet!

You’ve also got to give credit to the Corinthians fans, who held up a massive banner paying tribute to Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna. A noted fan of the club, Senna died when his car crashed at San Marino in May 1994.

Elsewhere, Fluminense defeated Sao Paulo 1-0 while Gremio could only manage a 1-1 draw against Santos.

How could we have missed this?! Hugh Jackman met Ronaldo in Sao Paulo when he was in the country to promote his new movie a few days ago. He presented the actor with a Corinthians shirt which had the name ‘Wolverine’ at the back.

Awkward but Ronaldo seemed more interested in rummaging through the bag than talking to Wolverine himself. What happened to his people skills?!

It wasn’t just Corinthians who were out celebrating at full force on Saturday. Brazil’s most supported club, Flamengo, even threw in churrasco (barbecue) and samba into the mix! Didn’t you know? Even Michelle Obama was there! On a side note, Kleberson – who scored two goals in Rio’s State Championship – has such an adorable filha!

It’s always great to be working and celebrating – that’s what the photographers in yellow bibs above must’ve been thinking to themselves!

Corinthians clinched the Campeonato Paulista title yesterday after drawing 1-1 with Santos in the second leg. “I have to thank a million people for this,” Ronaldo said. “This is an incredible moment in my life. I’m the happiest man right now.”

His wife, Bia Anthony, was also in the mood for celebration after the game.

“Today, we drink a little – and have a light beer. I am very happy. We performed completely (well). We are here to celebrate even if it is quick. We know you guys (journalists) would like to be with us, but it will be just between us, players and family members,” she said.

In Rio, Flamengo clinched their state title after the game went into extra time and had to be settled by penalties.

Dunga (pictured here with your favourite tio, Pele and the mayor of Sao Paulo) has sensationally claimed that Ronaldo Lima will not be called up to play for the selecao in the near future. Errr.. no surprises there!

According to Estado de S. Paulo, coach does not intend to include Ronaldo in the squad’s future campaigns – including the remaining World Cup qualifying fixtures and next month’s Confederations Cup. Dunga thinks that “Ronaldo needs to play a long series of matches in order to be fully recovered and fit. For now, he won’t have a chance to wear the shirt.”

Dopey also added that the “World Cup qualifiers are more challenging than the games in the Paulista championships, where Ronaldo has (clearly) performed well and scored goals.”

The official squad list for the Confederations Cup will be announced on May 21. For now, feel free to draw up your own!

Romario has come out to defend fellow countryman, Ronaldo, after critics have suggested that he’ll be unable to do ‘much good’ for the national team.

“If he’s still scoring goals, Ronaldo (definitely) has a chance to be back in the Brazilian selection. It’s well deserved although I doubt he is thinking of the selection at this time,” said Romario. “I have a friend there (who says) that if Ronaldo maintains the current level, they will have interest in him. Ronaldo’s goals live and he is still scoring.”

And it’s not just Romario who wants a piece of the action. President Lula has even commented on the issue.

“With each passing day, Ronaldo has proved that he is taking his return to football very seriously,” said Lula.

Meanwhile Ronaldo has expressed an interest in returning to the selecao. “I’m doing my part in Corinthians and I’m very happy. If that is enough to be called and if I am worthy, I will feel very proud and grateful,” he said.

Ah, that’s a “muito feliz” smile right there from Ronaldo Lima! He scored a double for Corinthians in yesterday’s 3-1 victory over Santos – the first leg of the Paulista Championship finals.

Ronaldo opened the scoring from the edge of the Santos area after latching on to a long-kick from Chicao, taking his tally to eight goals in 10 games.  “To be king for a day at the home of the king is excellent,” he said after the game.

Of course, “the other king” in this instance was Pele, who was present and visibly frustrated by the outcome of the match. Well, at least he didn’t talk about what he would’ve done if he were in front of goal. “The ball landed at the feet of a player who doesn’t miss,” Pele said. “Ronaldo makes the difference. The second goal was worthy of the World Cup.”

We all love São Paulo here at the Futbolita camp so it’s always sad to see them lose. But despite a hard fought game, they couldn’t pull off a victory over Corinthians in the semifinals of the Paulista Championship yesterday. Instead, the home side came away with a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Elias and Cristian. Miranda netted in the only goal for the visitors.

At least The Ronaldo admitted that the win didn’t come easy.

“It is difficult to reach perfection in football but today Sao Paulo was almost perfect,” he said after the final whistle.

His linda wife, Bia Anthony was also present at the VIP box of the stadium. She told the media later that “Corinthians deserved to win.”

Ronaldo Lima (not this oil barrel ya’ll secretly have the hots for) has spoken up on the issue of Adriano. He thinks that the media is to blame for ‘taking advantage’ of the situation. Uh, come on! Adriano was smiling and laughing at yesterday’s press conference.

“I am saddened by the lack of respect that has increased towards Adriano. We see many people taking advantage – suddenly speaking up about the player (aka Joana Machado!) when the boy is in shambles. Every day I see more saints on television and people who believe in the perfect world. I think this is sadder than the problem of Adriano in itself,” he said.

“Nobody knows what (the problem) is. I am a great friend and I have followed what is happening. It is a difficult time. I will do what I can to help him.”

Of course the Brazilian journalists had to find a way to ask Ronaldo if the situation was similiar to Ronaldo’s unfortunate tranvestite case last year.

“(There are) no comparisons. Any comparison is stupid. We are human beings. Everyone thinks in their own way. (But) about Adriano, we must know that we’re wrong,” he concluded.

You’re looking at a legend and the future of Brazil – Ronaldo Lima and the Santos teenage sensation, Neymar.

Fortunately for Corinthians, Dentinho (mano is on a roll!) scored in the 15th minute, heading home a well-placed pass from midfielder Douglas.

It was a tight game with many scoring opportunities. Both sides launched dangerous counterattacks and succeeded in keeping each other at bay with a tight defense.

The crowd of about 30,000 that packed Sao Paulo’s Pacaembu stadium cheered each time Ronaldo outwitted his opponents to capitialise on his chances. But as you can see from the photos below, there were also some crowd troubles.

What a great pic of Ronaldo being surrounded by little boys as he tries to leave the pitch! You can just see the excitement in their eyes… remarkable!

Anyway, Corinthians new star has confessed in an interview to Caldeirão do Huck that his intentions are not to return to the national team. Instead, he wants to earn back the respect of the Brazilian people.

“I never asked to be called up by (the national team).  I just want to score more goals for Corinthians,” he said.

Brazil already has six first-team strikers – all of them are talented and all of them are raring to play. We don’t foresee Sr. Dopey calling up Ronaldo anytime soon… at least not unless its a tribute game!

Farmer Fred made his dream for the Tricolor yesterday, scoring a double against Macaé at the Maracanã last night. Sensacional!

“As incredible as it may seem, I felt the lack of pace in the first half more time than the second. The second half was a lot calmer, I didn’t feel muscle aches and the goals happened naturally. I liked (this debut) but I know I can play even better,” he said after the game.

In another Brasileirao game, Corinthians played to a goaless draw against Santo André. Ronaldo did not feature in the game and was replaced by our U-20 favourite, Detinho! He linked with Jorge Henrique upfront but chances to convert were rare in the first half. Fans chanted for Ronaldo to save the game but coach Mano Menezes preferred to bench him.

Next week will be a classic game for Corinthians as they prepare to face Santos.

Since his return to professional football, Ronaldo Lima has become the centre of media attention all over the country. And in this photo, Ronaldo poses with Falcão, a member of the reggae band O Rappa, from Rio.

The striker will be featured in the TV show Altas Horas tomorrow (in Brazil), where he speaks about his impending retirement in Brazilian football.

“It is my wish to stay here in Brazil,” he said. “My heart (partly) belongs to Corinthians. Incidentally, my son Ronald is one of the club’s fanatics.”

Ronaldo has also spoken up about the sudden surge in interest from the media in Brazil.

“Even though (I’m not good anymore), everyone wants to know (what’s happening). All these photographers and journalists who are here shows that my story is important and I am doing my job well.”

“In Europe, the fans are more quiet. They expect a beautiful game to start a goal celebration. In the match against São Caetano, even when the score was 1-0 against them, the crowd did not stop. The support only increased. This motivated everyone,” Ronaldo said.

We look forward to watching the interview!

Meet Pedrinho. He’s only one year and nine months of age but wants you to know that his favorite team is neither Corinthians nor Sao Paulo (despite both parents’ efforts to sway him in their direction!) Instead, bebê is a fan of Santos and chants “Goool do Santos!” throughout the vid.

Pedrinho has even been invited to the Santos training ground tomorrow to meet the players and receive gifts!

So ya’ll know Manchester DoucheBag United have released a shirt with the words “There’s Only One Ronaldo.” You don’t do something like that without expecting a comeback from Corinthians! They owned!

United’s Version :

Corinthians’ Version :