Legendary South American pair Ronaldinho and Juan Roman Riquelme are reportedly ready to come out of retirement to play for Chapecoense, following the plane crash which devastated the Brazilian team on the eve of their Copa Sudamerica final with Atletico Nacional.
Teams from across South America have already offered Chape players to help the bereaved club get back on their feet, with a call being made to have them exempt from relegation for three years. Ballon d'Or winning Ronaldinho and four time Argentine Player Of The Year Riquelme would also be willing to represent the club for free for at least a season, according to reports.
The news has been broken by Artur Petrosyan, a Russian football expert who contributes to The Guardian, New York Times, BBC, CNN and Sky Sports, who has tweeted the news, this afternoon:
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It must be stressed that, at this moment in time, these reports are unconfirmed. We will have updates as reports continue to come through.
UPDATE
According to The Mirror's Ed Malyon, Riquelme's camp have denied the story:
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There is still no word from anyone in Ronaldinho's camp, however.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Ronaldinho, Football, Chapecoense, Brazil