Brazil legend Ronaldo makes shock 'supersub' appearance in Sunday League game

Half-time oranges, muddy pitches and the sting of an ice-cold sponge on an injury are all staples of Sunday League football.

But it is safe to say facing a man regularly hailed as one of the most feared strikers of his generation is not! Yet that was the significant challenge posed by struggling Phoenix FC, who currently sit at the bottom of the table in Division Eight of Essex's NWL. Already 4-0 down in a recent league game, they summoned the talents of a somewhat familiar substitute by the name of Dave Walsh, only to reveal the striker was actually former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan star Ronaldo.

The man who claimed the Ballon D'or on two occasions and scored twice in Brazil's World Cup Final win against Germany in 2002 unzipped his jacket, made his way on to the mud-laden pitch and promptly gave a flash of his Brazilian genius by producing a rabona to get the second-half underway. Sadly, it was a rare sight of the quality he showed during a goal-laden career as the 47-year-old was unable to inspire his new team-mates in what would become a 7-0 defeat. The unexpected cameo was part of a promotion by Paddy Power as the man known around the world as O Fenômeno helped the Irish bookmaker promote their new Super Sub betting feature – which transfers bets on the players coming on when players are subbed off.

Phoenix FC manager, Brian Edwards, explained: “The lads couldn’t believe it when Ronaldo showed up – I hadn’t registered him, so used the name “Dave Walsh” and put him on the bench. Sadly, he was anything but a Super Sub. He was late by the time he got changed, and we were already well behind by the time I could put him on – but it’s definitely a moment I’ll remember forever. The rest of his performance? Less memorable.”

A spokesman for the betting firm added: “They say form is temporary, but having seen him in the flesh, Ronaldo’s post-retirement form does now seem pretty permanent. It happens to us all, R9.”