COOPERSBURG, Pa. – At first sniff, a 6-year-old Chiweenie may not appear very big. But once his jersey goes on, Ronaldo the Football Dog rises to the occasion.
“It’s just been just a blessing that he’s been able to show his talent to the world,” said Stephanie Craverio Katzman.
The half Chihuahua/Dachound mix has 50,000 social media followers and has been featured by the Washington Post, NBC’s Today Show and Chicago’s WGN and People magazine, to name a few.
Coopersburg’s Sam and Stephanie Katzman, who share the pooch with her Portuguese native parents, named him after Soccer Superstar Christano Ronaldo.
“Who is more handsome?” 69 News reporter Bo Koltnow asked the couple.
“Can we have a tie? I think it’s a tie,” Stephanie said.
After adopting Ronaldo as pup, the canine obsession with defense emerged at family picnics. With a background in sports marketing, Sam showcased Ronaldo’s skills online where some are comparing him to legendary Russian Goalie Lev Yahsin.
“I don’t think we expected him to get the attention that he’s received. It’s insane. It’s global, like he’s getting a ton of comments right now on one particular video from a bunch of people in Iraq,” Sam said.
While the world’s biggest stars chase soccer’s biggest prize, one little goalie is winning fans over one save at a time.
“You don’t need to speak a certain language, you could just get to be able to see this wonderful dog, enjoy playing soccer, and you can love it from wherever you are, in any corner in the world,” Stephanie said.