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If you have a loved one who’s a fan of the Brazil soccer team, you may want to hide the hair clippers immediately. As part of its 12-day 2026 FIFA World Cup celebration, Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse is hosting a Ronaldo Nazário (not Cristiano Ronaldo!) lookalike contest at its fan zone in Wynwood tonight.
The competition asks people to dress up like Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, the world-famous retired Brazilian forward and winner of a trove of trophies — including two World Cups. Lookalike contests have become popular across the country in recent years and mostly focus on some of the most conventionally attractive stars in pop culture. The trend has popped off locally, with O, Miami hosting a Bad Bunny lookalike contest last year and a Rauw Alejandro doppelgänger face-off at Tropical Park in 2024.
And while a Cristiano Ronaldo lookalike contest would likely draw muscular Lotharios from across South Florida, the Ronaldo Nazário lookalike contest is a chance for locals to show off some of the most diabolical haircuts you’ve ever seen (and his signature 2002 style in particular). The competition kicks off at 7 p.m. at Wynwood Marketplace, and the winner will walk away with free Fogo de Chão for a year.
In the lead-up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup semifinal against Turkey in Japan, the Brazilian Ronaldo famously shaved off most of his hair, leaving only a triangle-shaped patch of fuzz at the front of his head, resembling a massive, misplaced soul patch.
At the time, he was at the zenith of the soccer world — he was already a World Cup winner from the 1994 tournament in the U.S. and considered the best player in the world at the time. So when he debuted the look before the semifinal match, the haircut was the talk of the media.
That’s exactly what he intended, the player revealed years later, according to ESPN. Ronaldo’s lingering leg injuries were at the front of reporters’ minds at the time, so he hoped to distract them with a wild haircut. Ultimately, Ronaldo proved he had the same level of mastery over reporters as he did with a soccer ball.
Years later, Ronaldo famously apologized to all the mothers of sons around the world who copied his haircut.
New Times has reached out to Ronaldo’s camp seeking another apology for what’s about to happen to the heads of South Florida soccer fans.
Ronaldo Nazário lookalike contest. 7 p.m. at Fogo de Chão World Cup Wynwood Marketplace Pop-Up, 2250 NW Second Ave., Miami; 305-461-2700; fogodechao.com.
