Ronaldinho and brother under police investigation over 'fake' passports

Ronaldinho surrounded by officials in his room while police searched [COURTESY]

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho has found himself in hot water after being cited by police officials in Paraguay over alleged possession of altered passports.

The former Barcelona and AC Milan player was in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion for a charity event when police visited his hotel suite and are said to have found the fake documents.

He and his brother Roberto were not taken to the station but remain under custody and are obliged to go to the prosecutor's office on Thursday.

Speaking to ESPN Brasil, Paraguay's interior minister Euclides Acevedo said: "(Ronaldinho and his brother) are not being detained, they are still under judicial investigation and they have to testify. Then it will be decided whether they will be arrested or not."

He added that the two were cooperating in the investigation and believe they were tricked by a man who was accompanying them, who was arrested.

Ronaldinho hung up his boots in 2018 after a hugely successful career in which he won 13 trophies at club level as well as a World Cup with Brazil.

He also won the Ballon d'Or in 2005 and is generally regarded as one of the most talented players of his generation.

He is currently without a Brazilian passport, however, after he received an environmental fine in 2018 when he illegally built a fishing trap at Lake Guaiba without proper licensing in a permanent preservation area.

He failed to pay the whopping $8.5m fine and thus Brazil's Superior Court of Justice stopped him from being able to leave the country.

He is still regarded as a hero in his country, however, and is an ambassador for tourism, saying at his unveiling: "Tourism is very important for generating jobs and regaining our image internationally."