Lucerne was all about Ronaldinho on Sunday. The 45-year-old former world footballer attracted thousands to the Swissporarena for the "Jogo dos Famosos". Former international Michi Lang had the chance to play against him and raved about the football legend to blue Sport.
While the Swiss team of Hakan Yakin, Johan Djourou, Johan Vonlanthen, Reto Ziegler and Blerim Dzemaili warmed up dutifully, Ronaldinho only arrived shortly before kick-off.
On the pitch, however, the former Brazilian stars proved that their technique had not changed. Ronaldinho in particular wowed the crowd. Former national team star Michi Lang, who was also on the pitch, also raved: "You can still see his footballing qualities in his movements, even if he's not quite as fit as he used to be."
Special class on the pitch too
Lang was out with Ronaldinho and the other Brazilian footballers in Zurich on Saturday evening, so he can confirm that Ronaldinho hasn't had that much sleep.
"But you can see on the ball, there's a feeling there that's indescribable. No matter how hard you try and how fit you are. Very few people have Ronaldinho's feeling," said the former Basel professional, impressed.
In addition to the former Barça and Milan star, legends such as Rivaldo and Maicon also showed their class. In the end, it was 6:4 for the Brazilians, with Ronaldinho leaving to a standing ovation in the 78th minute.
"We noticed that when Ronaldinho was substituted, there were suddenly around 50 people in the coaching area trying to take a photo. Three times the substitution couldn't be made because there was no coach left. It was all a bit chaotic," says Lang, adding: "You can just see that he's a superstar, one of the top 3, 4 players of all time. From that point of view, it was of course a unique experience for everyone involved," says Lang, who has been head of sport at Challenge League side Wil since this summer.
He doesn't normally take out his cell phone, but he made an exception for Ronaldinho and took a picture with him anyway - in his match jersey, not on the way out, smiles Lang.
