Anderson Daronco: Brazilian dubbed the ‘world’s strongest referee’

  • Rob Swan
  • By 
Nobody is messing with Anderson Daronco - dubbed the ‘world’s strongest referee’

Is Anderson Daronco the world’s strongest referee?

That’s what some people have dubbed the Brazilian and you can certainly understand why.

The 41-year-old clearly spends plenty of time inside the gym when he’s not taking charge of football matches.

Images of Daronco are currently going viral on social media. Many football fans are shocked that such a hench ref actually exists.

You wouldn’t want to mess with him, would you?

Even Hulk, one of the most powerful footballers on the planet, looked on the light side when he came face-to-face with the muscly match official.

What’s known about Anderson Daronco?

Soccer Stories – Oh My Goal produced a short video on Daronco, who officiates in Brazil’s top-flight.

They say the South American is a former handball player and PE teacher who is known as ‘Juiz Fortao’ – ‘Strong Judge’ in English. What an apt nickname.

It’s claimed he possesses 44cm biceps, is 188cm tall (6ft 1in) and weighs 90kgs (14 stone).

But the man himself believes his physique counts for little when it comes to commanding respect from players.

“I don’t like this business of measuring myself,” he told El Globo in 2017, per Soccer Stories – Oh My Goal. “Respect comes from the way I treat players and everyone involved.”

Indeed, Daronco was praised by many football fans across the world in 2019 when he stopped a match due to homophobic chanting from the crowd during a Brazilian top-flight clash between Vasco Da Gama and Sao Paulo.

So not only is Daronco physically strong but it seems he’s also mentally tough.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – OCTOBER 23: Referee Anderson Daronco gestures during a match between Flamengo and Corinthians as part of Brasileirao Series A 2016 at Maracana stadium on October 23, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Will Anderson Daronco be at the 2022 World Cup?

Maybe we’ll be seeing more of him at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.

Watch this space.

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