Vinicius Junior, Steve Nash and Chad Ochocinco Johnson scored for Team Roberto Carlos as they defeated Team Ronaldinho in a Major League Soccer game at the home of Inter Miami.
What did you say? Let's return to the beginning.
Soccer stars past and present came together in Florida this weekend to take part in the first edition of "The Beautiful Game," a series of matches hosted by 2002 World Cup winners R10 and RC3.
Brazilians Cafu, Rivaldo, Eder Militao and Vinicius joined Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos in assembling a squad that could be considered the most star- studded in the history of exhibition games.
Some of the current stars who have received call-ups include Paul Pogba, Paolo Dybala, Weston McKennie, Alphonso Davies, and Radamel Falcao.
The strategy was not limited to just football players. Nash is the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. An 11-year-old Brazilian social media star named Ariana dosSantos set up a late goal for Cafu and was held aloft by him as he celebrated.
Miami Heat's Jimmy butler and Phoenix Suns' Leandro Barbosa both played in the NBA before retiring.
The fans at the stadium got more than they paid for. It was the link-up play on the other team between Ronaldinho and Vinicius that lit up the first half. Ronaldinho slipped in Vinicius, who finished brilliantly, and then celebrated with a dance he made famous.
Ronaldinho feeding Vinicius Jr who scores and then follows it with the Ronaldinho celebration 🤩 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/sXBg922P61
— Luis Miguel Echegaray (@lmechegaray) June 19, 2022
Just before the break, Nash went back in time to get on the score sheet.
GOAL 🇨🇦#NBA legend and @BrooklynNets coach STEVE NASH robs Paul Pogba before applying a perfect finish to give his team an 8-4 lead!@YorkUtdFC... he is *technically* a free agent 👀#CanMNT | #NetsWorld | 🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/1Xm6wAlPKy
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 18, 2022
One of Ochocinco's goals in his hometown was a slam home after he used his big stride to get into space.
There was plenty of time for tricks and showboating, too, especially from Vinicius, who scored the winning goal when Madrid beatLiverpool in Paris last month to win the European Championship for the 14th time.
It was only fair that Vinicius played for each team because he was so good against ex-pros and non- footballers. He was on the winning team and the losing team at the same time, as Team Roberto Carlos ran out 12-10) winners.
The two Brazil greats who had their names attached to the game enjoyed themselves as they battled for the ball
We are left to wonder what tricks they have up their sleeves for the next game.
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