Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Zidane visit Cebu (Exclusive!)
Unknown to millions of their fans around the world, three football greats are now in Cebu to start their one-week furlough in the Philippines.
Football giants Ronaldinho, of Brazil and FC Barcelona, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho's former teammate in the Brazil national team who now plies his trade in Italy and Zinedine Zidane dropped by the other day in Cebu.
TAKING PICTURES LIKE TOURISTS. Ronaldinho snaps a photo of Zidane picking up his luggage at the airport on the way to the Taxi stand in Mactan.
All three are former Fifa World Footballer of the Year awardees and their visit here was made possible because of the Filipino's ignorance of football.
In an exclusive interview, Football.cebunetwork.com learned that the visit was the result of Zidane's experience in Cebu two years ago.
According to Zidane, who retired after the World Cup last year, a private plane he was in flying from Malaysia to Japan got diverted to Cebu due to mechanical problems back in 2005. When he got off the airport, he tried to go to the Mabuhay Lounge since he wanted to avoid the crowd.
"I was so surprised because I was refused entry and when I turned back to take a seat. A fellow approached me and said 'I was sitting on his seat.' I couldn't believe it. I thought, 'this is something I need," Zidane said through an interpreter.
Because of his experience, Zidane told Ronaldo that he knew a place where they could be ignored. They planned to go here late last year but the plan was canceled. Ronaldo, who was the frenzy of media during his final days at Real Madrid, told Zidane of his desire to unwind and go incognito revived the plan. They also invited Ronaldinho.
Just as he promised the two, the trio got ignored at the airport and they even took a cab, whose driver predictably tried to charge twice the amount on the meter, to the Waterfront Hotel.
"I never believed him (pointing to Zidane) when he told me about his experience. But the experience with the cab driver showed me it was possible. I was so happy to be ignored, I think I paid the taxi driver 100 dollars and the driver even looked suspicious. He check if it was a fake," an ecstatic Ronaldo said.
It was the turn of Ronaldinho, whom Zidane bet his brand new car that no one will ask for his autograph in the first 24 hours, to experience the Filipinos' football ignorance when they got to the Waterfront Hotel.
"When we travel, they just give us the keys and tell us which room we would be staying. I haven't checked in personally in a long time," Ronaldinho said.
When he got to the desk, the clerk handed him a piece of paper, a pen and asked him to 'fill it up."
"He was smiling a lot, I thought he recognized me and I thought he was asking for an autograph, thinking I won the bet, so I turned it over and signed my name on the space at the back and gave it back to the clerk," Ronaldinho said.
According to Ronaldinho, the clerk got puzzled why he signed on the back and he threw away the paper and gave him another form and asked him to fill in the details.
He did so and when he accomplished it the form was returned to him and the clerk said, "Sir, can you please include your last name? Not just your first name. And we are required to ask for proof of identification,"
Ronaldinho said he handed him his passport and said, "I don't think somebody has ever asked me to do that, so I gave him a tip."
According to sources in the hotel, the clerk has since quit his job and was seen around town driving the latest model from BMW.
With the high presence of expats and foreign tourists in Cebu, the trio's presence in Cebu was almost blown by a drunk Briton, who was also staying at the Waterfront, on April 1, just under 24 hours since they first arrived.
"We were on an elevator, and in comes this fat Briton, who smelled of alcohol. He pressed a number on the panel got a look at us and we thought, by the look of his face, he knew us," Ronaldo said.
It turns out the Briton didn't and thought he was just hallucinating.
"Boy this tuba is really good," the Briton told Ronaldo, "I'm seeing Zidane, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho here."
"If you are really Zidane, then I am Materazzi," the Briton quipped after he stumbled off his floor.
Football giants Ronaldinho, of Brazil and FC Barcelona, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho's former teammate in the Brazil national team who now plies his trade in Italy and Zinedine Zidane dropped by the other day in Cebu.
TAKING PICTURES LIKE TOURISTS. Ronaldinho snaps a photo of Zidane picking up his luggage at the airport on the way to the Taxi stand in Mactan.
All three are former Fifa World Footballer of the Year awardees and their visit here was made possible because of the Filipino's ignorance of football.
In an exclusive interview, Football.cebunetwork.com learned that the visit was the result of Zidane's experience in Cebu two years ago.
According to Zidane, who retired after the World Cup last year, a private plane he was in flying from Malaysia to Japan got diverted to Cebu due to mechanical problems back in 2005. When he got off the airport, he tried to go to the Mabuhay Lounge since he wanted to avoid the crowd.
"I was so surprised because I was refused entry and when I turned back to take a seat. A fellow approached me and said 'I was sitting on his seat.' I couldn't believe it. I thought, 'this is something I need," Zidane said through an interpreter.
Because of his experience, Zidane told Ronaldo that he knew a place where they could be ignored. They planned to go here late last year but the plan was canceled. Ronaldo, who was the frenzy of media during his final days at Real Madrid, told Zidane of his desire to unwind and go incognito revived the plan. They also invited Ronaldinho.
Just as he promised the two, the trio got ignored at the airport and they even took a cab, whose driver predictably tried to charge twice the amount on the meter, to the Waterfront Hotel.
"I never believed him (pointing to Zidane) when he told me about his experience. But the experience with the cab driver showed me it was possible. I was so happy to be ignored, I think I paid the taxi driver 100 dollars and the driver even looked suspicious. He check if it was a fake," an ecstatic Ronaldo said.
It was the turn of Ronaldinho, whom Zidane bet his brand new car that no one will ask for his autograph in the first 24 hours, to experience the Filipinos' football ignorance when they got to the Waterfront Hotel.
"When we travel, they just give us the keys and tell us which room we would be staying. I haven't checked in personally in a long time," Ronaldinho said.
When he got to the desk, the clerk handed him a piece of paper, a pen and asked him to 'fill it up."
"He was smiling a lot, I thought he recognized me and I thought he was asking for an autograph, thinking I won the bet, so I turned it over and signed my name on the space at the back and gave it back to the clerk," Ronaldinho said.
According to Ronaldinho, the clerk got puzzled why he signed on the back and he threw away the paper and gave him another form and asked him to fill in the details.
He did so and when he accomplished it the form was returned to him and the clerk said, "Sir, can you please include your last name? Not just your first name. And we are required to ask for proof of identification,"
Ronaldinho said he handed him his passport and said, "I don't think somebody has ever asked me to do that, so I gave him a tip."
According to sources in the hotel, the clerk has since quit his job and was seen around town driving the latest model from BMW.
With the high presence of expats and foreign tourists in Cebu, the trio's presence in Cebu was almost blown by a drunk Briton, who was also staying at the Waterfront, on April 1, just under 24 hours since they first arrived.
"We were on an elevator, and in comes this fat Briton, who smelled of alcohol. He pressed a number on the panel got a look at us and we thought, by the look of his face, he knew us," Ronaldo said.
It turns out the Briton didn't and thought he was just hallucinating.
"Boy this tuba is really good," the Briton told Ronaldo, "I'm seeing Zidane, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho here."
"If you are really Zidane, then I am Materazzi," the Briton quipped after he stumbled off his floor.
Comments
"Ronaldinho snaps a photo of Zidane picking up his luggage at the airport" ...ok I don't buy that. hehehe
This could be a good funny movie. Like a "Road Trip" type or
"Harold & Kumar" movie.