This is not the first time Lula has caused a stir with comments regarding the physical state of Brazil’s leading strikers. Back in 2006, during his first term in office, he famously questioned the fitness of legendary forward Ronaldo Nazario ahead of the World Cup in Germany, leading to a public back-and-forth between the politician and the ‘Fenomeno’.
At the time, Lula asked coach Carlos Alberto Parreira: “Every now and then, I meet Ronaldo and I know he’s thin. But every now and then we read in the Brazilian press that Ronaldo is fat. After all, is he fat or not fat?”.
The remark did not sit well with Ronaldo, who famously retorted: “Everyone says that he (Lula) drinks a lot. Just as it is a lie that I am fat, it must be a lie that he drinks a lot.”
