Meet Milene Domingues, Ronaldo Nazario’s ‘juggler queen’ first wife who once broke women’s football transfer record in Spain

One of football's greatest stars, Ronaldo Nazario, was once married to Milene Domingues, a woman who held the title of 'juggler queen'. Domingues was Il Fenomeno's first partner after they tied the knot in 1999. However, they split in 2003, a year after his move to Real Madrid.

Having been born into a football-crazy family in Sao Paulo, Domingues had a great passion for the spprt from a young age. She was especially interested in juggling, a skill she saw Ronaldo perform on television which piqued her interest.

Speaking to The Guardian in 2003, she said:

“One day, when I was 12, I saw Maradona on TV, he was kicking a ball with his feet, his knees, his thighs,” she told The Guardian in 2003. “And the ball never touched the ground. It was astonishing. Immediately, I decided I would teach myself to do what he could do. Every break I had, I practiced ball juggling.”

In 1997, she broke the world record for the most consecutive keepy-uppies. In a nine-hour feat, she juggled the ball over 55,000 times, an achievement that earned her the title of 'Juggler Queen'.

After their marriage in 1999, Domingues moved to Italy with Ronaldo, where the striker was a star attacker for Inter Milan. She left a successful career with Brazilian side Corinthians, taking a hiatus from the game.

She returned to the sport in 2002, joining a local team, Fiamma Monza and then went on to break another record, becoming the most expensive woman's footballer in Spanish football history after Rayo Vallecano paid £200,000 for her signature.

While rules dictated that she was not allowed to play for Rayo, she moved to Spain along with Il Fenomeno after his big move to Real Madrid.

Following their split in 2003, she represented Brazil in the Women's World Cup. Eventually, she left Rayo to play for an amateur side, AD Torrejon CF.

Ronaldo Nazario gets married for third time with a model in Ibiza

The Brazilian football icon recently tied the knot for the third time, marrying long-time girlfriend and Brazilian model Celina Locks in a church in Ibiza after dating for seven years.

The pair got engaged in January this year in a lavish ceremony at the Caribbean islands. They were welcomed by friends and family as they walked down the aisle in Es Cubells, a village in Ibiza.

Locks is Ronaldo's third partner. He was first married to Milene Domingues from 1999 to 2003, with whom he has his first son Ronald. His second wife was Maria Beatriz Antony and they had two children, Maria Sophia and Maria Alice.