Following the termination of Ronaldinho’s most recent contract at the Brazilian outfit Fluminese, Thomas Hodgson takes a look back at the sparkling career of one of the most exciting players of the 21st century.
Ronaladinho was born in 1980 with the birth name Ronaldo de Assis Moreira in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre. The young man was nicknamed Ronaldinho (little Ronaldo) due to his short stature.
The Brazilian shot to fame with his youth club when his side won 23-0, with a young Ronaldinho getting all 23 goals.
Ronaldinho began his professional career at the Brazilian club Gremio at the age of 18, where he impressed so much, that he was selected as part of the Brazil squad for the Confederations cup in 1999.
Brazil finished runners-up, however Ronaldinho was the star of the show, winning the player of the tournament award and scoring six goals to win the golden boot.
After becoming a regular in Gremio’s first team and following his phenomenal display with the international side, Ronaldinho had his picking of European sides; he opted for PSG in France.
Ronaldinho showed glimpses of the talent that would later come but at PSG never truly replicated his early international form.
In 2002, a year after joining Paris Saint Germain, Ronaldinho was called up to Brazilian squad once again, this time to feature in his first World Cup and after this tournament everyone was to know his name.
Ronaldinho went on to score two goals in the tournament and help Brazil to win their fifth world cup with a team that included superstars such as Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos.
The highlight of Ronaldinho’s tournament came against England when he scored the winner in the Quarter Final, a 35-yard free kick that looped over a sprawling David Seamen.
Many questioned whether Ronaldinho truly meant that audacious free kick against England, but it helped the young man gain the attention of some of Europe’s biggest hitters.
The incredible potential in Ronaldinho was spotted by Spanish giants Barcelona in 2003, and the €27 million transfer fulfilled a lifelong dream for the Samba star.
Barcelona gave Ronaldinho the famous number 10 shirt and he soon set about paying back the faith the Spanish outfit showed in him.
The talented attacker won back-to-back World player of the year awards in 2004 and 2005, as well as reaching the pinnacle of club success when he helped Barcelona to win the Champions League in 2006.
His exciting and captivating performances for club and country landed Ronaldinho a lucrative sponsorship deal with Nike and he became the first player to have his own signature line of boots when Nike released the Tiempo R10’s.
Ronaldinho spent five seasons with the Blaugrana, netting 94 goals and helping his side to win two league titles and one Champions league trophy.
With outrageous goals and mesmerising tricks fans all over the world adored Ronaldinho.
However there was to be one man who didn’t.
Ronaldinho’s career with Barcelona was over in 2008 when the manager, Pep Guardiola, announced that the Brazilian was ‘surplus to requirements.’
Ronaldinho left in 2008 as a Barcelona fan favourite and headed for the Italian powerhouse that is AC Milan.
It’s reported that AC Milan paid just £15 million for the services of the former world player of the year despite Manchester City offering almost double that figure.
However, Ronaldinho failed to live up to his reputation and goal-scoring potential and his below par performances saw him excluded from Dunga’s 2010 World Cup Brazil squad.
The Brazilian magician never quite made it back from his lows at AC Milan and left in 2011 to return to Brazil.
He found some success again with Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro which saw him recalled to the national squad, hbut he would never be the same player who in 2006 was on top of the world.
Ronaldinho spent a short few years at the top of his game with Barcelona with many saying he was the best of his generation, although his party lifestyle prevented him from remaining at the top for a sustained period.
But for any flaws he had, the Brazilian will forever be remembered as one the most entertaining and phenomenally talented footballer in the last 10 years.
