By Jack Beresford (@JackBeresford86)
Having all but retired from competitive football some time ago, it appears Ronaldinho is now preparing a surprise move into the world of politics – surprising because politics generally requires quite a lot of graft, a propensity for which the Brazilian isn’t exactly renowned.
Brazilian news outlet O Globo are reporting that the man who still haunts David Seaman’s waking nightmares will run for a seat in the Brazilian Senate.
According to the report, Ronaldinho will represent the Patriota Party (formerly known as the National Ecologic Party/PEN) and run for the seat representing the state of Minas Gerais.
The 37-year-old Ballon d’Or winner still has some way to go before these plans become a reality though. O Globo claims much could rest on Patriota Party presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, who Ronaldinho met with this week.
Should Bolsonaro win the upcoming leadership vote next March, one of his first moves as Patriota Party leader could be to clear the way for Ronaldinho’s run, just as Samuel Eto’o used to do at Barcelona.
Ronnie would then face a lengthy campaign until the elections in October 2018. Whether he’s looking to run on a campaign to extend the licensing hours and shortern the working week in Minas Geraid while adding several more carnivales to the calendar per annum remains to be seen.
Of course, he wouldn’t be the first Brazilian soccer superstar to run for office – fellow Selecao icon Romario was elected to the Chamber of Deputies on the Brazilian Socialist Party ticket back in 2010 and was then elected to the Brazilian senate representing the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Indeed, Romario picked up the most votes ever received for a candidate representing Rio de Janeiro in 2014 and Ronaldinho would surely be confident of similar victory given his standing with the public.
Olé!