During his final days playing for Barcelona, soccer star Ronaldinho created headlines with his partying and amorous pursuits. His coaches, teammates and fans were inundated with information about the less-than-wholesome things he was doing into the wee hours of the evening while out at various clubs and nightspots.
Several years later things have changed. For starters, Ronnie is playing in his native Brazil. And, now, his coaches, teammates and fans find themselves inundated with information -- and video -- of a less-than-wholesome act that occurred in the privacy of his own home.
A webcam video of the Brazilian soccer star apparently masturbating has leaked onto the Internet. Although it has never been verified that Ronaldinho is the one who appeared in the video, it caused such a stir that even his coach at Flamenco felt compelled to reference it during a press conference.
"This is a particular problem for Ronaldinho. I can not control what is on my player's computers," said Flemengo manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo during a press conference. "The only thing I can do is out of the way before this .... blows." And with that Luxemburgo pulled off what will probably be the best masturbation pun you're bound to hear at a Brazilian soccer press conference this year.
In a statement Friday, Ronaldinho called the video "a sham" and revealed that he had called on police to investigate the manner.
The unfortunate leak piled on to what was already a bad week for the two-time former FIFA player of the year. Last week Goal.com reported that the star's non-profit organization was under investigation for alleged irregularities in the relationship it shared with certain governing bodies.
In an apparent attempt to improve public relations surrounding him, a video was released over the weekend (WATCH BELOW) showing Ronaldinho doing what he does best--knocking in free-kicks.
Ronaldinho, who has been shooting down rumors of transferring to Europe in recent weeks, may have a little more motivation to look at his options abroad if this situation doesn't die down soon. On the other hand, such an incident would likely have created even more buzz if El Pais and Mundo Deportivo were covering it as aggressively as they cover everything else connected to the Catalan club.