Ronaldinho’s mum succumbs to Covid-19

Ex-Brazil star Ronaldinho Gaucho's mother has succumbed to Covid-19. Media reports in Brazil indicate Dona Miguelina, 71, has been hospitalized after testing positive for Covid-19 last year while in their home city of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. In December, the former Brazil and Barcelona player asked fans to pray for his mother, revealing she was fighting for her life at Mae de Deus Hospital. “Dear friends. My mum has Covid and we’re fighting for her to recover. She is in intensive care and is receiving all the care she needs. I’m thankful for your prayers, your positive energy, and the affection you’ve always shown. Stay strong, mum,” the Ballon dor winner wrote on Twitter. The death sums up what has been a tough past year for Ronaldinho, considered one of the most skillful players to ever play football. While detained in Paraguay over fake passports, he said he was eager to be freed, saying the first thing he would do after being freed would be to give his mum a ‘big kiss'. “She’s been experiencing a difficult time of it since the start of the coronavirus crisis," he said. In 2012, while still playing for Flamengo, the Brazilian almost quit due to his mother’s condition – cancer. “When my mum fell ill, I said I wouldn’t be able to carry on playing. I thought the time had come to stop and take care of her. Everyone gave me strength. I experienced a lot of things and it was really difficult but the fans were by my side. They took a flag with her face on it to the stadium and hugged me,” the Brazilian told the press.