Despite his famously goofy smile, footie star Ronaldinho had a knack for scoring off the pitch as well as on it.
And the result that really raised eyebrows was the Brazilian ace’s brace of “fiancees” as he openly indulged in a three-way relationship.
The former Barcelona ace reportedly lived “harmoniously” with Priscilla Coelho and Beatriz Souza in his £5million Rio de Janeiro mansion.
The 2002 World Cup winner, 39, even hit headlines last year over rumours he was planning to marry the two women at the same time.
Ronaldinho denied the reports and last December split with Priscilla – who filed a lawsuit for a share of his £70million fortune and confirmed she had been in a relationship with the star and “a third person”.
Now Priscilla’s mum, Maria Aldenice dos Santos, has spoken out on her daughter’s six years with Ronaldinho – whose real name is Ronaldo de Assis.
And she tells how she at first refused to believe Priscilla – who introduced Ronaldinho to her close pal Beatriz – was living in a double relationship.
Maria says: “I nearly died when they called me to tell me. I was angry that Ronaldinho had made a commitment to love and care for my daughter, then added to that by one.
“It brought shame on my family. He just thought about himself and didn’t think about the scandal it would cause.
“Priscilla wasn’t brought up to be involved in something like this. She accepted the situation because she was so in love with him.”
Maria said Ronaldinho treated both women exactly the same – right down to the gifts he gave them and the places he took them.
She says: “He had his bedroom for him and Priscilla, and another bedroom for him and Beatriz. They would never be together in the same bed. One day would be Priscilla’s and the next day Beatriz’s.
“He gave both of them the same amount of spending money every month and he would give them exactly the same gifts. He once gave both a Rolex watch.
“Whenever he travelled he would take them both. Priscilla would often call me by video from wherever she was in the world and show me the luxurious life he was giving them.
“Whenever she called me from the hotel room where they were staying, Beatriz was there too, and it was always laughs and smiles.
“They made a point of telling me they were happy and their relationship was one of respect for each other. I began to think, ‘If she’s so happy with the situation, it can’t be that bad’.”
Event planner Priscilla met Ronaldinho in 2012, in her home city of Belo Horizonte, south-east Brazil.
He was winding down his glittering career playing for local side Atletico Mineiro.
Maria, 53, said: “We began to get worried because Priscilla was spending the night away and not telling us where. She wasn’t that kind of girl, she would tell me everything.
“We confronted her and she told us she was dating Ronaldinho. It was a shock.
“We didn’t want her to, because we knew what footballers are like and Ronaldinho’s womanising was well known. She told me he’d promised he would change.
“Then he invited us to his house where he asked for permission to date Priscilla and promised he would treat her like a princess. He even began to call me his mother-in-law.”
In 2015, when Ronaldinho went to play for Rio side Fluminense, she moved with him, leaving her new job at Google . He only played nine games and left after two months.
After four years together, he asked Priscilla to marry him, telling her he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life.
But a few months later, Priscilla invited pal Beatriz to one of their parties and Ronaldinho fell for her. In December 2017, he moved Beatriz in.
Apparently unfazed by the arrangement, Ronaldinho was seen with both women at parties and on trips.
During February 2018’s Rio Carnival, he hired a VIP box in the Sambadrome to watch the processions with both lovers.
A month later, on a trip to Japan with his samba band, he posted photos of himself with both women.
And a week after that, they all went to the Brazilian capital Brasilia, where the star – said to fancy a career in politics, like footie pal Romario – joined the centre-right Brazilian Republican Party.
Maria said Ronaldinho planned to “marry” both women at a joint unofficial ceremony this year.
But in December, Priscilla called her “sobbing desperately” and saying she was coming home.
She claimed the player physically assaulted her during a row, leaving her with back injuries.
Maria said: “She said Ronaldo had started going out partying on his own, spending nights away and leaving her alone at home.
“Then she found messages between Ronaldo and other women on his mobile. Beatriz wasn’t at home, she’d gone to spend Christmas in London.
“She confronted him but he didn’t want to talk. He went to his car and she followed him, telling him he couldn’t just go without talking.
“She spent three days locked in her bedroom, without eating, trying to speak to him and waiting for him to come back.
“Then she decided this couldn’t go on, packed her suitcases and drove home.”
Maria says Ronaldinho has not spoken to Priscilla since that day – and has not honoured an agreement to pay her a monthly allowance of £2,000.
Ronaldinho is still with Beatriz and Priscilla has filed a lawsuit claiming a third of his earnings for their time together.
Maria said: “It still hurts my heart when I remember Priscilla arriving home, completely destroyed.
“She’s trying to start her life again but it’s tough. When employers realise who she is, they don’t want to give her a job. She’s having to work as an Uber driver to make ends meet.
“He thought he could have everything, even as many wives as he wanted. It doesn’t matter how famous you are, you can’t treat people like he did. Priscilla was so happy with him but Ronaldinho ruined everything.”
We approached a representative of Ronaldinho but they declined to comment.
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