Brazilian Football Legend Ronaldo Praises Jakarta Crowd at GBK Stadium
Reporter
April 19, 2026 | 11:43 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Football legend from Brazil, Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, was impressed with the atmosphere of Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Main Stadium, South Jakarta, Indonesia, during the exhibition match Clash of Legends Jakarta 2026 between Barcelona Legends and DRX World Legends on Saturday night, April 18, 2026. In the match, Barcelona Legends won convincingly with a score of 3-0.
According to Ronaldo, the enthusiasm of thousands of spectators, the magnificent stadium, and the beautiful match became a perfect combination. "So, it's always enjoyable to be here," said the player who received the World's Best Player and the European Golden Shoe awards in 1997.
Unfortunately, the former player nicknamed O Fenomeno did not take to the field. Age--now 49 years old--and fitness were the reasons. Nevertheless, Ronaldo took on the role as the coach of the DRX World Legends team.
He was seen approaching DRX World Legends players such as Claude Makelele during the 62nd-minute break. They appeared to be chatting and smiling at each other. Ronaldo also greeted other players like Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Del Piero.
In addition to Makelele, Cannavaro, and Del Piero, DRX World Legends included French and Serie A legend Sebastian Frey as the goalkeeper, former left-back of Liverpool John Arne Riise, Japanese legend Keisuke Honda, and former Bayern Munich striker Frank Ribery. The team also included Indonesian players such as Irfan Bachdim and Ismed Sofyan.
Meanwhile, the Barcelona Legends team included Jesus Angoy, Marc Valiente, Martin Montoya, Phillip Cocu, Javier Saviola, and Brazilian legend Rivaldo. Three goals for Barcelona Legends were scored by Rivaldo, Jonathan Soriano, and Christian Tello.
As quoted from Antara, Ronaldo has been impressed with the enthusiasm of Indonesian football fans since he arrived in Jakarta on Friday, April 17, 2026. He received a warm welcome from the airport to the hotel.
For Ronaldo, this is his second visit to Indonesia. Previously, in 1996 or 30 years ago, the former player nicknamed R9 had visited Indonesia while still wearing the PSV Eindhoven uniform. At that time, Ronaldo was not yet a bright star in PSV's pre-season agenda.
PSV came to the country with their best squad. In addition to Ronaldo, there were big names such as Ronald Waterreus, Jaap Stam, Phillip Cocu, Wim Jonk, and striker Luc Nilis.
Unfortunately, Ronaldo Lus Nazrio de Lima missed the trial match against Persebaya Surabaya at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium. The striker's action could only be witnessed when he played against Persma Manado in Manado in the following match.
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