 Schumacher Teams Up with Ronaldo Wednesday March 28th, 2001
Ronaldo's "red" team, which featured the unlikely pair in attack with former Brazil international Zico in midfield, beat the "blue" team, which included ex-World Cup players Junior and Bebeto, 10-9 in an hour-long match watched by 10,000 people. Schumacher, a keen footballer who was reported to have had a sleepless night before his first appearance at the world's biggest stadium, was among the scorers. Ronaldo, still recovering from a second operation on his knee last year, scored five. Ronaldo has played in a number of kick-abouts with local celebrities as part of his recovery but this was the first in front of the public. Before the game, he emphasised that the event should not be billed as his comeback. The match took place under a hot midday sun and was played at a pedestrian pace. The teams were clearly under orders to avoid any sort of tackling. Proceeds went to a local children's charity campaign organised by UNICEF, the United Nations' Children's Fund, and a Brazilian television network. Former Brazil coaches Carlos Alberto Parreira and Mario Zagallo were in charge of the sides. Asked his opinion on the German driver's footballing abilities, Parreira said: "He has his qualities." Schumacher used the match to hone his fitness for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo, but the German was guilty of some poor finishing. He wasted a string of opportunities set up by Ronaldo and former Brazil striker Zico before getting on the scoresheet with a second-half penalty. "It was great fun playing alongside Schumacher," Ronaldo said. "He by no means looked out of place. We even worked on some neat one-twos together."
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Germany's Formula One motor racing world champion Michael Schumacher teamed up with Brazilian striker Ronaldo in a charity soccer match at the famous Maracana stadium on Wednesday.
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