Football nowadays is not only fun and a profession but also a great business. It brings fame, fortune and lots of advantages to those whose skills with a foot ball are outstanding. Being a football superstar means big contracts and millions in the players' bank accounts, very impressive and motivating. And as a large number of footballers around the world come from poor families, they know how difficult life can be for those who don't have a single opportunity of any development.
And what do they do to make the difference? Charity! Lots of football superstars do charity! For instance Didier Drogba, who has been honoured Beyond Sport's Humanitarian in Sport Award, which is a recognition of Drogba's work with The Didier Drogba Foundation and the United Nations Development Programmeis recognised. He also has played an important role in the searching for peace in Ivory Cost, his home country.
United Nations Develop Program this year brought to Porto Alegre, a city whose population is 1,509,939 inhabitants (2010) and one of the host cities of the next World Cup, UNDP ambassadors Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo, who gathered friends to play the fundraising Match Against Poverty, which for the first time in ten years has its edition hosted by a south american country.
According the the UNDP, last year in Hamburg, Germany, the event raised US$100.000 for humanitarian and relief operations in the Horn of Africa.
This year, in its 10th edition, proceeds from the game will be evenly split between two youth-oriented projects - one in Brazil and one in Cape Verde, Africa.
Under Secretary General of the UN and UNDP Associate Administrator, Rebeca Grynspan, said it was great to have Zidane and Ronaldo and their workmates totally commited to cause.
More than 50.000 supporters occupied Gremio's new stadium and had the opportunity to see the likes of Zico, Karembeu, Bebeto, Michel Salgado, Neymar amongst others as well as the world-class italian referee Pierluigi Collina. Football in Brazil is taken seriously and this time it was not difference,even for a friendly. It was amusing to see Gremio's supporters chatting for former forwards Jardel to score in his old team mate Danrlei. Not to mention Leandro Damiao, who plays for Internacional, bitter rival of Gremio being booed but after scoring for Ronaldo's team made everybody happy.
The lineups were the following:
Ronaldo's friends team: Dida, Danrlei, Roberto Carlos, William Machado, Cafú, Serginho, Réver, Junior Baiano, Roque Junior, Lucas, Juninho Paulista, Cacá Ferrari, Roger, Zico, Bebeto, Romário, Denilson, Leandro Damião, Paulinho, Neymar, Edmundo, Djalminha, Zinho.
Zidane's friends team: Vitor Baía, Diego Cavalieri, Edgar Davids, Fernando Hierro, Juliano Belletti, Juan Pablo Sorin, Deco, Paolo Montero, Michel Salgado, Hidetoshi Nakata, Christian Karembeu, Anderson Luiz de Sousa, Santiago Solari, Fredrik Ljungberg, Juan Roman Riquelme, Alex de Souza, Pedro Pauleta, Falcão, Loco Abreu, Carlos Gamarra, Emerson, Mário Jardel.
Final score and result: Ronaldo vs Zidane 3-2 (Bebeto, Damiao, Caca Ferrari / Falcao, Zidane)
Venue: Arena do Gremio, Porto Alegre, 19 December, 2012
It was a great opportunity to see footballers from different generations playing together for a good and important cause!
text and photos by
Marcio Schenckel- Porto Alegre, Brazil