Former Football Star Ronaldinho Owes Millions, Has 57 Properties Seized, Says Folha

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Ronaldinho Gaucho has had a successful career on the pitch, but off the pitch, life is not easy for the former jersey #10 of the Brazilian national team and prominent club teams like Barcelona (Spain) and Milan (Italy).

According to newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, the former player has 57 properties with writs of attachment, four of them confiscated by a court in Rio Grande do Sul.

Of the 57 properties seized, 55 are in that state and two in Rio de Janeiro, according to Folha. These decisions are the result of an environmental fine of R$ 9.5 million. In addition, Ronaldinho Gaúcho has R$ 7.8 million in claims from three notaries in Porto Alegre.

The city of Rio Grande do Sul told Folha that Ronaldinho owes R$9.91 (US$2.63) million in IPTU (Property Tax) and TCL (Tax on Household Waste Collection). The Treasury Attorney’s Office is additionally charging him a debt of R$793,000.

The former player has two passports — as he has Spanish citizenship — and both have been retained. Therefore, he may not leave Brazil. The investigation opened by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office for Environmental Defense in 2009 led to the seizure of passports and the blocking of property.

The goal was to investigate the environmental impact caused by the former athlete, his brother Roberto de Assis Moreira, and Reno Construções e Incorporações, in charge of the construction of a 142-meter long pier, linking the former player’s ranch to Lake Guaíba, without an environmental permit.

In January 2012, the court ordered the demolition of the property, but neither Ronaldinho nor Assis were located for the enforcement of the decision.

Ronaldinho currently has nine contested and non-negotiated debts, according to the Porto Alegre mayoralty. The debts amount to R$7.88 million. Between installments in arrears and other debts paid in installments, Gaúcho owes another R$702,000.