Latest reports from South America are saying Brazilian football legend, Ronaldinho and Juan Roman Riquelme would consider coming out of retirement to play for tragic club Chapecoense.
The Brazilian club had on Tuesday, November 29, 2016, lost 19 of its players, as well as a number of backroom staff, in a plane crash in Colombia.
Despite the deaths of many of their squad, Chapecoense may still be required to fulfill fixtures in the coming weeks, before they embark on the process of rebuilding the club.
As a result, reports have surfaced claiming that Ronaldinho, who won the World Cup with Brazil and former Argentina international Riquelme have offered their services for free.
However, Ronaldinho’s agent and brother, Roberto Assis, said no talks had yet taken place, but he confirmed that the two-time FIFA World Player of the Year will do all he can to help the club.
Speaking to Globo Esporte, he said, “It is a very difficult time. Later on, if there is a contact, we can talk.
“I can only say that we are here and we want to help. He (Ronaldinho) fits the profile, can be the right guy. But the moment is to help families and it would be (wrong) to create expectations for now. As Brazilians, we feel involved. We are together.”
Meanwhile, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch has confirmed that the ‘black box’ flight recorders from the British Aerospace 146 plane have been retrieved and are being taken to the UK to be examined in Farnborough.
A recording of the flight’s final minutes revealed the pilot told air traffic controllers there had been a ‘complete electrical failure’ and that he had run out of fuel before the doomed plane plunged into a wooded mountainside.
A full investigation into the crash is expected to take months and will review everything from the 17-year-old British Aerospace aircraft’s flight and maintenance history to the voice and instruments data in the black boxes.
