Brazilian domestic football 2011: now featuring the national team's superstars*

* the national team of 2002

Roberto Carlos 'Olympic' goal lights up Brazil opener

Goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni put Sao Paulo ahead after five minutes with a penalty to increase his world record to 94 goals by a keeper

SAO PAULO (AP) -Veteran left back Roberto Carlos has ended his contract with Corinthians by mutual consent.

Corinthians president Andres Sanchez says the 37-year-old former Brazil international asked to leave because of threats he and his family had received after the team was eliminated from the Copa Libertadores last week and because he had a "fantastic offer" to play overseas.

Sanchez did not say what offers the player had received but local media reported that the Los Angeles Galaxy and Russia's Anzhi were interested in the player.

want sandro back?

Galaxy technically not overseas though. Wth is Anzhi?

Rolling Stones tune from 1973

Ronaldo retires at 34. One of the very greatest players, I'm sad today.

"I plan a move in a game but I cannot execute it as I wish."

:(

Ronaldo hat trick at OT for Real Madrid (also feat. Zidane, Carlos, Figo, Makelele and MacManamanamanaman) knocking Man Utd out of the CL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4SHPxVzPB8

What a performance! His first two in particular are absolutely stunning goals.

great mail in f365 mailbox today about that. his coming off the pitch to an ovation is a great moment

those highlights would make a fella very nostalgic for a time before now, where players as technically limited as rooney or tevez can be offered up as world-class.

also- barthez- was never anything but a shortarse chancer.

that game, at the time, was all about beckham. ferguson's petulance in dealing with him cost utd dearly over those few seasons.

otm twice there - how does Ferguson get away without criticism for being so bloody stupid sometimes?

Was wondering why Ronaldo retiring has left me so melancholy today. It is nostalgia, but not for better times I don't think, just for the passing of one amazing player and his era. We might never get another like him.

he was the first international player i think i really took an interest in, i think. just getting to an age where football nerdiness was beginning to be a schoolyard conversation point, he was 17 and beginning to bang them in for barca. i can't think of another player of that calibre where it feels like i've followed his whole career- giggs, for instance, was probably a very established footballer wen i started to take a real interest.

and nowhere near as good as ronaldo either

i remember when a young australian tyro named mark viduka was linked to celtic, and i remember the febrile speculation after his contract with newcastle expired in 2009....will it be hull? portsmouth? a return to the a-league? then nothing happened, and it eventually turned out he couldn't be bothered with football any more....but in between those years he was a really good player, possibly not as good as ronaldo but conceivably heavier, and i saw it all

well, did it need saying xp

just offered up as another player that's still playing, that's maybe where the melancholy reaction comes in- seen pretty much all of the guy's career, personalises the issue somewhat

viduka was better than ronalso for that one game against liverpool

ranalso

that's what you could have called him if he wasn't any good

have people been keeping up with the Rivaldo saga? As I understand it, he went to Mogi Mirim and retired to become club president. And then he decided to unretire and sign himself, with accompanying mocked-up press conference photos -

http://footballsup.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Rivaldo-no-Mogi-em-2011.jpg
http://footballsup.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/f_32705.jpg
http://footballsup.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/rivaldo3.jpg

and then he loaned himself out to Sao Paulo. Where he, incidentally, scored a very nice goal in his first game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zIUJ6VPdkE&feature=player_embedded

just thought you should know.

I had no idea. He looks good in a suit though.

beautiful. all of it.

that is magnificent

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/columnists/2011/4/7/1302174923738/Neymar-007.jpg

• Neymar dons mask of his own face and is sent off
• Ill-advised celebration follows spectacular goal

More Latin America bee drama

Been a couple of years since we had one of these:

A match in the stadium where Holland will face Brazil next month was held up for 20 minutes when a beehive was discovered on one of the crossbars and ended in a free-for-all among players and rival fans.

The Goiânia state championship semi-final between Vila Nova and Goias at the Serra Dourada Stadium on Sunday was held up after half an hour when hundreds of bees gathered at the top corner of the goal behind the Goias goalkeeper Pedro Henrique.

The fire brigade was called in and they used an extinguisher and a flaming torch to get rid of the bees with play resuming 20 minutes later even though not all the bees had gone.

That neymar picture.

BRAZIL – Three time world player of the year and former Real Madrid star Ronaldo looks set to make a shock come back to the game just months after announcing his retirement. The Brazilian is considered by many as being the greatest player of all time with former team mate Claraance Seedorf labelling him as “In human, because he could move at nearly 10,000kmh.”

Corinthians have friendlies with Inter and Barcelona scheduled in the next few weeks.

so apparently ronaldinho and thiago neves forced 3rd yellow card to celebrate rio's nightlife saturday

flamengo's coach is angry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jop9CjKZbfQ