Joan Laporta, president of Spanish soccer giant Barcelona, on Tuesday publicly defended Brazilian forward Ronaldinho, criticised in the press for a decline in performance.
Ronaldinho, 27, is not playing well because he is injured, Laporta said, calling on everyone to back the player, whose real name is Ronaldo de Assis Moreira. "He must not feel left out".
Ronaldinho has been substituted in three games since the start of the season and will reportedly be left on the bench for Barcelona's Wednesday game against Zaragoza and is in doubt for the Saturday game against Levante. Spanish press say his next likely game is in Oct. 3's Champions League match against German team Stuttgart.
Media have repeatedly expressed doubt that a muscle strain could be the cause of his drop in performance, saying that he had been seen in the city's many discos.
Laporta said he had not spoken with Ronaldinho about the player's private life, because it is the players that set the rules about how deep they go into such issues.
Barcelona defender Gianluca Zambrotta separately told media that there is nothing wrong with a pint or two, but that drinking to get drunk is bad.
However, Luis Fernandez, the manager of French soccer team Paris St. German was publicly critical of Ronaldinho's nightlife.
Meanwhile, British daily newspaper The Sun said that Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea football team, is willing to pay 70 million pounds (141 million U.S. dollars) for Ronaldinho's contract.
Source: Xinhua
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