Daniel Garcia Marco, a journalist who writes for the DPA Agency went to the effort of describing in great detail how Ronaldinho spent his night on the eve of Barcelona's Champions League semi-final second leg showdown with Manchester United.
Of course, the Brazilian was out injured for the match, but instead of focusing on his recovery, he preferred to go out until the early hours of the morning.
According to the reporter, the night began at 12:30 pm, when Ronaldinho had dinner with six friends at the Casanova Beach Club, a restaurant/pub that was recently inaugurated in the Paseo Maritimo de Castelldefels (Barcelona).
Ronaldinho enjoyed a feast with friends, that included eating a variety of different meats, and was topped off with a succulent buffet of tarts for dessert.
This time the Barcelona footballer chose the new restaurant of Mimo, who also owns Casanova. Ronaldinho has his own private section at the restaurant which is often referred to as "The Section of the Legend". Ronaldinho and his entourage regularly enjoy spaghetti carbonara and a selection of red meats from the menu.
But the intensity of the night increased when Ronaldinho and company consumed several beers with lemon, with the occassional glass of wine. Often the drinks are on the house, but on other days Ronaldinho pays the fat bill, and sometimes he leaves a tip of up to twelve euros, or at times he doesn't leave anything.
The staff at the restaurant always affirm that Ronaldinho is a pleasure to have, as he always respects everybody, and doesn't mind chatting to people who greet him.
"He is always alert. He is like this with the clients who greet him, but mainly with the children," a worker stated. Ronaldinho signs several Barcelona jerseys, and makes sure everyone has had a chance to talk to him.
At 1:15 am, Ronaldinho and company left the Casanova Beach Club in two Range Rovers and headed off to "Sandunguita", a Caribbean-themed club in Port Ginestra, close to Castelldefels.
When there, Ronaldinho greeted his friends with kisses and hugs. He asked for beer (lots of it), and those were are present - including lots of Brazilians - observed a Ronaldinho who was dressed in all white for the occassion.
At 2:00 am the party begins. Much reggaeton and Rihanna hit single 'Umbrella' gave way for live samba and funk. According to the journalist, Ronaldinho sung, played the drums and danced like there was no tomorrow all night long.
He had several more beers, and even helped in breaking up a fight. He then continued to dance, without even thinking about the injury that hasn't allowed him to see any action on the football field for a couple of weeks. On the dance floor he showed off some amazing moves, many of which he has brought onto the football field. Defenders worldwide would have been familiar with each one of them - with Milan, Inter and Manchester City all hopeful to witness them week in week out next season.
At 4:00 am the samba came to a stop and paved the way for more reggaeton. At this point, Ronaldinho allegedly took off his shirt, and while surrounded by beautiful women, continued to show off all his dancing skills. No-one would have thought he is recovering from an injury.
The nightclub usually closes at 5am, according to the owners, but it was way past this hour and the Sandunguita was still open, and Ronaldinho, who had his hands full with great company, showed off a huge smile that hasn't been seen at the Camp Nou for some time now. It seems like Ronaldinho has found better things to do than to play football.
Gregory Sica