In Barcelona, some time before the Brazil team caught the plane home, browsing in FNAC, the HMV of the continent. Suddenly, this!
There were loads of them, a pile of – oh, fifty – taking pride of place on the counter, and more dotted around. How could I not?
It’s a high profile comic in Spain and Brazil – the artist, Mauricio de Sousa is a big name there. So what do you learn of the life of young Ronaldinho? It’s in Spanish, but I fancy I’ve gathered it’s gist:
- The earth was once a CUBE, until Little Ron was born, when it spontaneously geo-morphed it into a football shape.
- Ronaldinho has a FAMILY, who are sometimes beset by minor difficulties, best overcome with football.
- Ronaldinho has DOGS. They play an anarchic and unorthodox game of football.
- On planet Ronaldinho, there is a GIRL (his sister?). She does not enjoy football.
My favourite moment features the only grown-up appearance of Ronaldinho, in this stirring and worthy conclusion to a story on books:
Google tells me that the final couplet means this:
First journalist: It is pleasant to interview to crack with as much general culture.
Second journalist: Yes.
Available in the UK, and translated properly, as a strip in KiCK! magazine.