““Are you jealous?”” With that question and a beaming smile, Ronaldinho replied to a journalist during an Atlético Mineiro press conference 😄
The Brazilian star had been dodging the subject for three weeks. In January 2014, a photo of him in a pool, smiling at the camera alongside five women in thongs with their backs turned, had circulated on social media. According to the footballer’s friends, the image was taken at his home in Barra da Tijuca, in Rio de Janeiro, during the New Year’s celebrations. Several feminist groups criticized it harshly.
When he finally spoke, he toned things down: he said it had all been a joke for a friend who had sent him a photo showing off how much fun he was having in Rio, and that he had replied with that image. He regretted that it ended up on social media and acknowledged that, as a public figure, controversy was inevitable. He assured everyone that he had never intended to offend anyone and that the photo was for private use only.
A joke between friends that went around the world before he could stop it ⚽
