If I’m honest, I genuinely thought Robinho had retired a long time ago. Best known for his time with AC Milan, Real Madrid and Man City, he’s still playing in Turkey but has become more widely known for all the wrong reasons in recent years.
In 2017, The Guardian reported to say he had been sentenced to nine years in jail after being found guilty for his part in a rape case. He was convicted as part of a group but that report did suggest his sentence would be suspended while he exhausted the appeals process. They also said he maintains his innocence.
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That leads us to the present day where his current side Basaksehir are due to play Roma in the Europa League tonight. According to AS via Globoesporte, the club are worried he will be arrested on his return to Italy so he’s been left out of the squad.
Obviously he has managed to avoid going to prison so far, but there’s no suggestion anywhere that his conviction has been overturned or if he would actually be arrested upon entering he country.
Either way, it’s completely ruined his reputation he gained over a successful playing career.
He was either marvelous or awful during his time at Man City, but he has 100 caps for Brazil and also played in over 100 games for Real Madrid and AC Milan.
Surely he wont be able to run away from the law in Italy forever, but it will be interesting to see if there’s an official reason given for his absence tonight.