Things people do for love can leave others awestruck. When it comes to football fans, the craziness will know no bounds. The latest example for this comes from Sami Ofer Stadium in Haifa, Israel, where a combination of Brazil's World Cup winners in 1994 and 2002 faced off against a team of legends from the host country.
The Brazilian side was luminant with the presence of all-time greats like Ronaldinho, Bebeto, Kaka, Kafu, Roberto Carlos and Rivaldo. Though the match had many moments of its own including ground invasions by fans, the funniest thing happened in the 50th minute of the game. It involved iconic midfielder Kaka, who also scored a goal, and the lady referee who was controlling the game.
The Ballon d'Or winner was surprised to hear the whistle and the ref rushing towards him while he was almost at the centre of the field. There were no opposition players anywhere near for him to have committed a foul. Then why has she stopped the game? The drama didn't end there as the referee pull out the yellow card from her pocket and booked him as other players, equally clueless as poor Kaka, started to gather around.
However, the card wasn't the last thing the lady took out of her pocket. To everyone's surprise, she then took out her mobile phone from her trouser's pocket and asked the former AC Milan star to pose with her. The video clipping of the incident has already gone viral on social media.
Some of the Israeli players were visibly irritated at the developments, while the Canaries burst out into laughter as their "handsome" teammate politely fulfilled the referee's wish. The entire stadium cheered in support and soon the game resumed.
The "2019 Shalom Game" between the two sides was arranged to promote coexistence between Israel and Brazil. More than 20,000 fans attended 70-minute game that the visitors won 4-2. 55-year-old Bebeto scored the opening goal with Ronaldinho, Kaka and Marcio Amoroso also finding the back of the net. Ronen Harazi and Yaniv Katan scored for the Israeli team.
Watch the match highlights here:
Kaka, one of the most gifted midfielders of the modern game, started off with his childhood club Sao Paulo in Brazil, before moving to AC Milan in Italy and Real Madrid in Spain before retiring in 2017 with MLS side Orland FC. He was the only player to win the Ballon d'Or in the era of Messi-Ronaldo rivalry before Luka Modric did it again in 2018.