Ronaldhino smashes cathedral window

BY FREDDY GRAY
RONALDINHO, the Brazilian superstar footballer who famously knocked England out of the last World Cup, sent a ball smashing through a stained-glass window of the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
The attacking midfielder, who was bought by Barcelona for £21 million last July, was filming an advertisement in the Plaza do Obradoiro when he miscued his bicycle-kick, and the ball rocketed into the medieval cathedral.
The Brazilian had run through his impressive range of skills, but director Emil Samper was not satisfied. He asked Ronaldinho to try an acrobatic overhead kick.
The cathedral is one of the most important pilgrimage sites of Christianity, supposedly housing the relics of St James the Apostle, Spain’s patron saint.
An anxious Ronaldinho was relieved to hear that the stained glass he broke was not as old as the 12th century cathedral, but a modern addition. The local council has agreed to foot the bill and Ronaldinho will not make a contribution, even though he earns about £90,000 a week. Ronaldinho sunk England’s hopes of World Cup success two years ago when he lobbed goalkeeper David Seaman from 35 yards. The Brazilian insists that his goal was deliberate, claiming to have spotted Seaman off his line before audaciously dropping the ball into the top left hand corner. But England captain David Beckham, who plays for Real Madrid, believes the goal was probably a fluke.
What Beckham thinks of Ronaldinho’s latest strike remains unknown. Certainly Emil Samper believes Ronaldinho was not in any way responsible, and shouldered the blame himself. He said: “It was my fault, I asked Ronaldinho to hit the ball as hard as he could and he had the bad luck to hit the window.” Ronaldinho might have been in trouble when he returned to training. Barcelona are arguably one of the most Catholic clubs in the world. There is a chapel inside their Nou-Camp stadium and the Pope is an honorary member of the club, meaning he is entitled to vote when a new president is elected.
John Ryan: Page 9