The journalist who broke the news that Birkirkara could sign Ronaldinho has admitted he was playing Championship Manager 2006 and mistook it for real life.
The news that the Maltese club was in talks to sign the retired 39-year-old Brazilian World Cup winner was first reported by One TV sports show L-Argument.
But the show’s host has confessed the rumour was caused by a lapse in concentration and a dash of over-enthusiasm.
“Sometimes I like playing old football video games, so this morning I installed Championship Manager 2006 on my PC and started a season as Valletta,” show host Clifton Buhagiar said.
“After playing for a couple of hours, I had lunch and went for my afternoon nap. But I slept too much and when I woke up I felt disorientated and groggy. I went over to the TV and was shocked to see a transfer news update that said Birkirkara were in talks to sign Ronaldinho.
“In my excitement, I headed straight to L-Argument’s Facebook page to share the news,” Buhagiar said, adding that he was sorry for giving Birkirkara fans false hopes.
If reality had actually reflected Buhagiar’s game, Ronaldinho would have linked up at Birkirkara with fellow Brazilian Kaká, Didier Drogba, and a 19-year-old Lionel Messi.
