Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos announce teams for 'The Beautiful Game' exhibition match
MIAMI - On Saturday, June 18, futbol legends Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos will take the field at DRV PNK Stadium.
But they won't be alone.
They've recruited several other celebrities from on and off the pitch to take part in an exhibition they're calling The Beautiful Game.
Former NFL star Chad Ochocinco, and NBA Champion Leandro Barbosa will participate.
Former and current soccer stars, influencers, and artists will be in the mix as well.
In a press conference on Thursday - Ronaldinho said via a translator that this was "a moment they could share the field with players they've known for a long time as well as players, past and present they wished they could've played with."
"It's going to be a great reunion to remember those moments and share the pitch with them in this stadium."
Roberto Carlos, also via a translator said: "After coronavirus, the best way to thank the people at this stadium is to do an event like this one."
"And if we could we'd do this sort of event every single year in many different countries because we missed the fans a lot, Carlos added.
Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos will serve as team captains for Saturday's 6:30 pm kickoff and below is the official roster released on Thursday:
TEAM ROBERTO CARLOS
Goalkeeper:
#1 - Sébastien Frey - Former Fiorentina, Inter Milan player
Defenders:
#3 - Roberto Carlos - Former Real Madrid, Brazilian national team player
#12 - Fred - Brazilian influencer
#2 - Cafu - Former AC Milan and Brazilian national team player
#3 - Éder Militão - Brazilian national team, Real Madrid CF player
#5 - Ricardo Osorio - Former Mexican national team player
Midfielders:
#23 - Arturo Vidal - Inter Milan, Chilean national team player
#10 - Carlos 'El Pibe' Valderrama - Former Colombian national team, Miami Fusion player
#8 - Hristo Stoichkov - Former Bulgarian national team, FC Barcelona player
#10 - Rivaldo - Brazilian national team, FC Barcelona player
#28 - Denis Zakaria - Switzerland national team, Juventus FC player
Forwards:
#9 - Radamel Falcao - Rayo Vallecano, Colombian national team player
#11 - Amauri - Former Juventus FC, Fort Lauderdale Strikers player
#17 - Nani - Former Portuguese national team, Manchester United FC player
#17 - David Trezeguet - Former France national team, Juventus FC player
#1+8 - Ivan Zamorano - Former Chilean national team, Real Madrid CF player
#7 - Mariano - Real Madrid CF player
Other:
#19 - Leandro Barbosa - Former NBA player
#13 - Steve Nash - Brooklyn Nets head coach, former NBA player
#33 - Blessd - Colombian recording artist
*Rosters subject to change
TEAM RONALDINHO
Goalkeeper:
#1 - René Higuita - Former Colombian national team player
Defenders:
#6 - Aldair - Former Brazilian national team player
#4 - Rafa Marquez - Former Mexican national team, FC Barcelona player
#2 - Diego Lugano - Former Uruguayan national team player
#33 - Rodrigo Costa - Former 1860 Munich player
#2 - Gabriel - Former Grêmio, São Paulo player
Midfielders:
#10 - Ronaldinho - Former Brazilian national team player
#20 - Deco - Former Portuguese national team player
#21 - Paulo Dybala - Argentinian national team player
#10 - Roberto Assis - Former Grêmio player
#6 - Paul Pogba - French national team player
#14 - Blaise Matuidi - Former French national team, Inter Miami CF player
#8 - Ryan Babel - Former Netherlands national team, Liverpool FC player
Forwards:
#22 - Kevin Kurányi - Former German national team player
#777 - Rauw Alejandro - Puerto Rican recording artist
#20 - Vinicius Jr - Brazilian national team, Real Madrid CF player
#9 - Patrick Kluivert - Former Netherlands national team, FC Barcelona player
Other:
#23 - Diogo Snow - Brazilian artist
#7 - Lunay - Puerto Rican recording artist
#22 - Jimmy Butler - Miami Heat player
#85 - Chad Ocho Cinco - Former NFL player
#10 - Romero Britto - Brazilian artist
