Former Barcelona winger Ronaldinho is so popular in Brazil that he has had a specific species of bees named after him in the country.
In 2012, two Brazilian entomologists named a new species of bee ‘Eulaema quadragintanovem’ after the famous winger.
‘Quadraginta novem’ means forty-nine in Latin – which is incidentally the number of Ronaldinho’s jersey in Atletico Miniero – his former team in Brazil.
Ronaldinho chose to play with the no.49 as a homage to his mother – who was born in 1949.
When asked about his thoughts on having a bees species named after him, Ronaldinho told FourFourTwo in 2016: “I was shocked! I found it curious, but I didn’t buy the idea that they wanted to name the bee after me just because they think I am nice. It may have been more for publicity.
"So I got the idea to name the bees after the number 49 as a tribute to my mother, who was born in the year 1949. She has had some difficult times with her health recently, but is now improving.”
Ronaldinho made 207 appearances for Barcelona – scoring 94 goals and registering 71 assists – as well as helping Barca win multiple La Liga titles and a Champions League title.
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'He makes that risky, high reward passes that open teams up': Barcelona fan explains why our midfield needs Puig
Explaining why Riqui Puig deserves to play much more for Barcelona, a Barca fan wrote on Reddit: “I've just figured out why Puig is so important for our midfield.
“First, he isn't afraid to shoot when he gets the opportunity, he even looks to get in such positions so he can have a shot on goal. Our current midfield seems scared to shoot when they are open, they try to look for Messi or Griezmann and miss a good chance (unless they are literally in front of the goal).
“Second, he makes that sharp, risky but high reward passes that open teams up. And he does it quite efficiently. We rarely see that from both Pedri who might just be exhausted from playing 51 games this season at the age of 18, and De Jong who just carries the ball forward himself (this is not a bad thing at all, but it just doesn't work that often)
“He needs minutes in order to improve and build chemistry. I noticed that only Messi is able to handle those sharp passes from Puig, Griezmann, Alba and the rest just get surprised and have a bad touch. That comes with playing time. Our La Liga season and hopes are over now. Koeman might as well give Puig the minutes he deserves.
“I'm not saying he should become a starter (although I like the idea of a Pedri - De Jong double-pivot midfield with Puig upfront), but that he should get at least 30 minutes per game to give Pedri or De Jong some rest.”
Puig has only started 3 games for Barcelona this season and unable to prove his ability due to the lack of game-time. Even Joan Laporta is said to be concerned with how scarcely he is being used and wants Ronald Koeman to make more use of him in the first team.
Barcelona ‘reluctant’ to make Xavi new manager coach due to lack of experience in Europe
Barcelona still has the option of making Xavi Hernandez their new manager despite seeing him sign a new 2-year contract extension with Al Sadd.
However, as per ESPN’s reliable Moi Lorens, some of the members of the board are reluctant to have the Spaniard replace Ronald Koeman.
It’s said that Xavi’s lack of experience when it comes to working in Europe is why the board is hesitant at giving him the reins of the club.
There are still questions around Ronald Koeman – but the Dutchman is likely to stay at Barcelona next season after being reassured by Joan Laporta that the club aren’t looking for a new manager yet.
Xavi has enjoyed a lot of success as the manager of Al Sadd – helping them win the Qatar Stars League in the 2020/21 season and the Qatar Cup too.
