For years, Anderson Daronco was as famous for his calls as he was for his biceps.
The Brazilian referee, nearly 1,90 meters tall and considered one of the country’s five best, built such a muscular image that even a bodybuilding influencer accused him in 2023 of being ‘fake natural.’ But in a recent Flamengo match, fans could barely recognize him: he appeared noticeably slimmer, with normally built arms, far from the physique that made him go viral in South America.
Meme pages on Instagram quickly reacted with ‘before and after’ photos asking for explanations 🔥. As early as 2017, Daronco had confessed that he followed a diet because he felt his muscle mass affected his officiating performance. Now, almost a decade later, he seems to have taken that decision seriously.