Ronaldinho plays keepy-uppy with a 5-year-old, and the kid holds his own
There are very few people in the world who are talented enough to play keepy-uppy with Brazilian soccer pinball wizard Ronaldinho. Evidently one of them is an elementary schooler.
As noted by the always terrific 101 Great Goals and The Big Lead, Ronaldinho was captured during a pregame workout playing keepy-uppy with the young son of Alecsandro, a teammate at his club Atletico Mineiro.
There's no doubt that the tyke, whose name has yet to surface, has plenty of skills. He may not be at the Ronaldinho level yet, but then again, who is? What's perhaps even more impressive, however, is his confidence in playing alongside a legitimate global star. No only does he freely go back-and-forth with Ronaldinho, he also hijacks the session to work in a bicycle kick at one point.
Well played little man, well played.
While Alecsandro's offspring is clearly a long way from the big time, he already is tipping his hand about who he supports in the larger global football sphere. The marketing executives at AON will be thrilled to see that their sponsorship of Manchester United is earning them valuable time in Brazil, at least during soccer pregame kickarounds. Why the kiddo wasn't decked out in Mineiro gear is a true question that begs answering, both from Alecsandro himself and the Mineiro staff.
Regardless, hopefully the latest Brazilian ball juggling wonderkind to be unearthed won't be the last that Ronaldinho tries on as his career slowly winds to a close in his native land. Does anyone else see the potential of a reality show where Ronaldinho travels around the country in a van and pops out to play keepy-uppy with kids on short notice, with the winners to compete at some kind of a cup game (Copa Libertadores, perhaps)?
Surely someone at Nike would pay for that. Prep Rally would certainly watch if it existed, no matter how hard it was to find.
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