By Lim Han Ming

WE KNOW about his amazing football tricks and skills.

But do you know what is Ronaldinho's favourite food?

Serve him a plate of foie gras, which means goose liver in French, and the buck-toothed Brazilian superstar is likely to flash his megawatt smile.

Ronaldinho, who is one of three overaged players named in Brazil's Under-23 Olympic football squad, showed a special liking for the French delicacy during his Air France flight from Paris to Singapore yesterday.

'He didn't finish much of his food except for the foie gras, which he told me in Portuguese that it was very good,' Ms Benedicte, an Air France stewardess who served him on the flight, told The New Paper upon her arrival yesterday.

Besides foie gras, Ronaldinho seems to prefer beef as his choice of meat.

That was what he chose over chicken and prawns for his main course.

Asked if Ronaldinho, who is known to be a party animal, consumed any alcohol on the plane, Benedicte said: 'No, he abstained from alcohol. I guess because he's a professional footballer.'

Despite his superstar status, Benedicte said that Ronaldinho was 'very friendly and courteous' towards the crew members.

The newly-signed AC Milan star spent most of his time on the 12-hour flight listening to his iPod and catching up on his sleep.

Benedicte said: 'They were obviously very tired from the long flight from Brazil.

'Ronaldinho slept very soundly throughout the flight.'

The Brazilians' arrival yesterday created a stir at Changi Airport, where about 500 fans had gathered to welcome them.

But not many people on board flight AF256 knew that they were on the same flight as the samba boys.

It is understood that the Brazilians were ushered into their business class seats only after the bulk of the passengers had boarded the plane.

Singaporean Joseph Kwek, who bought an economy seat, only realised that he was in the company of the samba boys after the plane landed.

'It was too late by the time I saw them. We had already touched down by then. I only managed to take a picture of them from far as we were not allowed to get close to them,' lamented the 26-year-old bank officer.

FAMOUS

Not even the crew members were informed of the Brazilians' presence.

It was not until the players decked out in their famous yellow and green shirts boarded the plane that they realised that the samba boys were on the flight.

Once the plane landed, the crew members mobbed the players for photographs.

No prizes for guessing who was the most sought-after player.

Whipping out their handphones, Air France stewards Legeard Stephan and Dieu Adrien proudly showed this reporter the photos they took with Ronaldinho.

Stephan said: 'Ronaldinho was really friendly. He obliged with all the requests for photographs and autographs.'

Hurpin Odile was one of the lucky ones who got a photo with Ronaldinho.

It was a nice memento for the Air France chief stewardess, who was serving on her last flight before she goes into retirement.

The Frenchwoman told The New Paper: 'This is actually my last flight before I retire after 30 years of service.

'My daughter lives in Brazil and is a big fan of Ronaldinho.

'She'll be thrilled to see this picture.'

This story was first published in The New Paper on July 24, 2008.