Номер телефона роналдиньо

Коноплянка: выбрал 80-й номер в честь Роналдиньо. Я — Роналдиньо-младший

12 февраля 2022, 15:13 МСК

Украинский полузащитник Евгений Коноплянка прокомментировал свой переход в польскую «Краковию».

«Президент и тренер сказали, что хотят видеть меня в Кракове – чтобы перешёл в «Краковию» и показал, что умею на поле. Для меня было удовольствием разговаривать с ними как с семьёй. Это первое – мне нравится, когда меня хотят видеть и зовут по-отечески.

Моё физическое состояние? Хорошее, я в форме. Последняя травма была восемь месяцев назад – это был плохой период. Теперь хочу показать людям, которые могли позабыть, как я играю. Я голоден и хочу помочь команде зарабатывать по три очка в каждой игре.

Почему выбрал номер «80»? Это просто. Помните, какой номер был у Роналдиньо в «Милане»? 80-й. Так что я – Роналдиньо-младший.

Личные цели на этот сезон? Я не думаю о голах или ассистах. Да, мне нужна помощь, но я думаю лишь о первых трёх очках – посмотреть в глаза команде, увидеть каждого счастливым. Для меня неважны голы и ассисты.

Хорошо, скажу: минимум для меня – забить 5 голов и отдать 5 результативных передач. Это для начала, но посмотрим», — цитирует Коноплянку Tribuna.com со ссылкой на YouTube-канал «Краковии».

Футболист бразильской ассоциации

Роналдиньо

Роналдиньо в 2019 году
Личная информация
Полное имя	Роналду де Ассис Морейра
Дата рождения	(1980-03-21) 21 марта 1980 (возраст 40)
Место рождения	Порту-Алегри, Бразилия
Рост	1,79 м (5 футов 10 дюймов)
Игровое положение (а)	Атакующий полузащитник, Нападающий
Молодежная карьера
1987–1998	Гремио
Старшая карьера *
Годы	Команда	Приложения	(Gls )
1998–2001 годы	Гремио	52	(21)
2001–2003	Paris Saint -Жермейн	55	(17)
2003–2008	Барселона	145	(70)
2008–2011	Милан	76	(20)
2011–2012	Фламенго	33	(15)
2012–2014	Атлетико Минейро	48	(16)
2014–2015	Керетаро	25	(8)
2015	Fluminense	7	(0)
Всего		441	(167)
Национальная сборная
1996	Бразилия до 17 лет	6	(2)
1999	Бразилия до 20 лет	5	(3)
1999–2008	Бразилия до 23 лет	27	(18)
1999–2013	Бразилия	97	(33)
Награды Мужчины Футбол Представительство Бразилия Чемпионат мира ФИФА Победитель Корея и Япония 2002 г. Кубок Конфедераций ФИФА Победитель 2005 г. Германия Финалист Мексика 1999 г. Кубок Америки Победитель Парагвай 1999 г. Олимпийские игры 2008 Пекин Команда Чемпионат Южной Америки до 20 лет 1999 Аргентина Чемпионат мира FIFA U-17 Победитель 1997 Египет Чемпионат Южной Америки до 17 лет Победитель 1997 г. Парагвай
* Матчи и голы в старших клубах учитывались только в национальных лигах

Роналду де Ассис Морейра (родился 21 марта 1980 г.), широко известный как Роналдиньо Гаучо (бразильский португальский: ) или просто Роналдиньо, бывший профессиональный бразильский футболист и посол Барселоны. Он играл в основном как атакующий полузащитник, но также был задействован как нападающий или нападающий. Роналдиньо, которого часто считают одним из лучших игроков своего поколения и одним из величайших игроков всех времен, получил две награды Игрок года мира по версии FIFA (в 2004 и 2005 годах) и Ballon d’Or в 2005 году. Мировая икона спорта, он был известен своими техническими навыками и творчеством; благодаря его ловкости, скорости и дриблингу, а также его умению использовать трюки, финты, удары сверху, незаметные передачи и точность штрафных ударов.

Роналдиньо дебютировал в карьере за Гремио в 1998 году. В возрасте 20 лет он переехал в Пари Сен-Жермен во Франции, прежде чем подписать контракт с «Барселоной» в 2003 году. Во втором сезоне за «Барселону», он выиграл свою первую награду «Игрок года мира по версии ФИФА», так как «Барселона» выиграла титул 2004–05 Ла Лиги. Последовавший за этим сезон считается одним из лучших в его карьере, поскольку он был неотъемлемой частью Барселоны, выиграв Лигу чемпионов УЕФА, свою первую за четырнадцать лет, а также еще один титул Ла Лиги, дав Роналдиньо его первую карьеру. двойной. Забив два ярких сольных гола в первом 2005-06 Эль Класико, Роналдиньо стал вторым игроком Барселоны после Диего Марадоны в 1983 году, получившего аплодисменты стоя от фанатов Реала на Сантьяго Бернабеу. Роналдиньо также получил свою вторую награду «Игрок года мира по версии ФИФА», а также Золотой мяч.

. После второго места в Ла Лиге над соперником «Реал Мадрид» в сезоне 2006–07 и из-за травм сезона 2007–08 Роналдиньо покинул Барселону, чтобы присоединиться к Милану. Затем он вернулся в Бразилию, чтобы играть за Flamengo в 2011 году и за Atlético Mineiro год спустя, где он выиграл Copa Libertadores, а затем переехал в Мексику, чтобы играть за Керетаро, а затем вернулся в Бразилию, чтобы играть за Fluminense в 2015 году. За свою карьеру Роналдиньо накопил множество других индивидуальных наград. Он был включен в Команду года УЕФА и Чемпионат мира по футболу XI трижды, назван клубным футболистом года УЕФА в 2006 году и Южноамериканский футболист года в 2013 году и был назван в FIFA 100, списке величайших ныне живущих игроков мира, составленном Пеле.

На международном уровне Роналдиньо сыграл 97 матчи за сборную Бразилии, забив 33 гола и представляя свою страну на двух чемпионатах мира по футболу. Он был неотъемлемой частью команды 2002 FIFA World Cup в Корее и Японии, играл главную роль вместе с Роналдо и Ривалдо в атакующем трио, и был назван в составе команды всех звезд Чемпионата мира по футболу FIFA. В качестве капитана он привел Бразилию к их второму титулу Кубка Конфедераций в 2005 году и был назван Лучшим игроком матча в финале . Роналдиньо забил три гола в турнире, в результате чего его общее количество достигло девяти, что сделало его лучшим бомбардиром турнира за все время.

Содержание

• 1 Ранняя и личная жизнь
• 2 Клубная карьера
  • 2.1 Гремио
  • 2.2 Париж Сен-Жермен
    • 2.2.1 Сезон 2002–03
  • 2.3 Барселона
    • 2.3.1 Сезон 2004–05
    • 2.3.2 Сезон 2005–06
    • 2.3.3 2006 –07 сезон
    • 2.3.4 сезон 2007–08
  • 2.4 Милан
    • 2.4.1 Сезон 2009–10
    • 2.4.2 Сезон 2010–11
  • 2.5 Фламенго
  • 2.6 Атлетико Минейро
  • 2,7 Керетаро
  • 2,8 Флуминенсе
  • 2,9 Футзал в Индии
  • 2,10 Выход на пенсию
• 3 Международная карьера
  • 3,1 Молодежные команды
  • 3,2 Ранний успех
  • 3,3 Слава чемпионата мира 2002 года
  • 3.4 Титул Кубка конфедераций 2005 года
  • 3.5 Разочарование на чемпионате мира 2006 года
  • 3.6 Олимпийская медаль 2008 года
  • 3.7 Отсутствие чемпионата мира 2010 и 2014 годов
• 4 Профиль игрока
  • 4.1 Стиль игры
  • 4.2 Прием
• 5 Вне футбола
  • 5.1 Проблемы с законом
• 6 Карьерная статистика
  • 6.1 Клуб
  • 6.2 Международный
• 7 Honou rs
  • 7.1 Клуб
  • 7.2 Международный
  • 7.3 Индивидуальный
  • 7.4 Другое
• 8 См. также
• 9 Ссылки
• 10 Внешние ссылки

Ранняя и личная жизнь

Родился в Порту-Алегри в 1980 году Роналдиньо переехал в богатый пригород в возрасте восьми лет.

Роналду де Ассис Морейра родился 21 марта 1980 года в городе Порту-Алегри, штат столица Риу-Гранди-ду-Сул, Бразилия. Его мать, Мигелина Элои Ассис душ Сантуш, в прошлом продавец, училась на медсестру. Его отец, Жоао де Ассис Морейра, был рабочим верфи и футболистом местного клуба Esporte Clube Cruzeiro (не путать с более крупным Cruzeiro Esporte Clube ). После того, как старший брат Роналду Роберто подписал контракт с Гремио, семья переехала в дом в более богатой части Гуаружа в Порту-Алегри, который был подарком Гремио, чтобы убедить Роберто остаться в отеле. клуб. Тем не менее, карьера Роберто была прервана травмой. Это было в их новом доме, где его отец ударился головой и утонул в бассейне, когда Роналду было восемь лет. Сегодня Роберто является его менеджером, а его сестра Дейзи работает его пресс-координатором.

Футбольные навыки Роналду начали расцветать в возрасте восьми лет, и впервые ему дали прозвище Роналдиньо — «инхо», что означает маленький. — потому что он часто был самым молодым и самым маленьким игроком в матчах молодежных клубов. Он проявил интерес к футзалу и пляжному футболу, который позже расширился до организованного футбола. Многие из его характерных приемов взяты из футзала, особенно его контроль над мячом. Его первая встреча со СМИ произошла в 13 лет, когда он забил все 23 гола в победе со счетом 23: 0 над местной командой. Роналдиньо был признан восходящей звездой на чемпионате мира до 17 лет в Египте, где он забил два мяча с пенальти.

В детстве его кумирами были победа на чемпионате мира. звезды; Ривелино (с 1970), Диего Марадона (с 1986), Ромарио (с 1994) и два его будущих товарища по международной команде Роналду и Ривалдо (который сформирует атакующее трио в сборной Бразилии, выигравшей чемпионат мира 2002 года). Роналдиньо является отцом сына Жоао, родившегося 25 февраля 2005 года в семье бразильской танцовщицы Янаины Мендес и названного в честь его покойного отца. Он получил испанское гражданство в 2007 году. В марте 2018 года Роналдиньо присоединился к Бразильской республиканской партии, которая связана с Всемирной церковью Царства Божьего. Роналдиньо поддержал кандидата в президенты Жаира Болсонару на президентских выборах в Бразилии в 2018 г..

Клубная карьера

Гремио

«В свое время я работал с некоторыми великими игроками и все такое. в очень интересный период в их карьере, от девятнадцати до двадцати лет. Но, при должном уважении к другим, Роналдиньо был на голову выше остальных «.

— тренер Гремио Селсу Рот.

Карьера Роналдиньо началась с молодежным отрядом Гремио. Он дебютировал в старшей команде во время 1998 Copa Libertadores. В 1999 году на свет появился 18-летний Роналдиньо, забивший 23 гола в 48 матчах, и он стал хедлайнером в дерби против Internacional, особенно 20 июня 1999 года в Rio Grande. сделать финал чемпионата штата Сул. В победном матче Роналдиньо поставил в неловкое положение бразильскую легенду Интернасьонал и чемпион мира 1994, капитан Дунга, один раз перебросив мяч над головой и оставив его в покое. лабиринт дриблинг на другом. Роналдиньо добился дальнейшего успеха с Гремио, выиграв первый Copa Sul-Minas.

В 2001 году Арсенал выразил заинтересованность в подписании контракта с Роналдиньо, но этот шаг провалился после того, как он не смог получить разрешение на работу, потому что он был игроком из стран, не входящих в ЕС, который не сыграл достаточно международных матчей. Он подумывал сыграть в аренде с шотландской Премьер-лигой командой Сент-Миррен, чего не произошло из-за его причастности к скандалу с поддельными паспортами в Бразилии.

Paris Saint-Germain

Роналдиньо прибыл в Парк де Пренс (на фото) с большой помпой.

В 2001 году Роналдиньо подписал пятилетний контракт с французским клубом Paris Saint-Germain в перевод в размере 5 миллионов евро. По прибытии в Париж Роналдиньо получил футболку под номером 21 и попал в состав, в который входили бразилец Алоизио, полузащитник Джей-Джей Окоча и нападающий Николас Анелька.

Роналдиньо дебютировал за клуб в лиге 4 августа 2001 года, выйдя на замену в ничьей 1: 1 с Осером. Роналдиньо провел большую часть первых месяцев сезона 2001–2002, попеременно выполняя обязанности запасного и стартера. Свой первый гол за клуб он забил 13 октября вничью 2: 2 против Лиона, реализовав эквивалентный пенальти на 79-й минуте после того, как вышел на поле. десять минут назад. Вернувшись из зимнего перерыва, Роналдиньо разразился слезами, забив гол в четырех матчах подряд, чтобы открыть новую кампанию. Он забил впечатляющие голы против Монако, Ренн, Ленса и Лорьян. 16 марта 2002 года он записал дубль в победе «ПСЖ» со счетом 3–1 над борцами за вылет Труа. Он забил свой последний гол в сезоне в победе клуба со счетом 2: 0 над Мец 27 апреля.

Роналдиньо также сыграл важную роль в 2001–02 Coupe de la Ligue., помогая ПСЖ выйти в полуфинал, где они были выбиты Бордо. В матче 1/8 финала против Генгама Роналдиньо забил два гола во втором тайме после того, как вышел на матч в качестве запасного в перерыве. Несмотря на первоначальный успех Роналдиньо в клубе, сезон был омрачен спорами с менеджером Пари Сен-Жермен Луисом Фернандесом, утверждающим, что бразилец был слишком сосредоточен на парижской ночной жизни, а не на футболе. и жаловался, что его отпуск в Бразилии никогда не заканчивался в запланированное время.

сезон 2002–03

Несмотря на неоднократные разногласия с Фернандесом, Роналдиньо вернулся в команду на сезон 2002–03., когда игрок переходит на футболку с номером 10. Хотя его выступления во втором сезоне с клубом были не очень впечатляющими по сравнению с его первым, Роналдиньо превосходно выступил с клубом. 26 октября 2002 года он забил два гола в победе ПСЖ со счетом 3: 1 над Classique соперниками Марсель. Первым голом стал штрафной, который прошел мимо многочисленных игроков «Марселя» в 18-ярдовой штрафной, а затем проплыл мимо вратаря Ведрана Рунье. В ответном матче он снова забил в победном матче «ПСЖ» со счетом 3: 0 на Stade Vélodrome, пробежав половину поля, прежде чем перебросить мяч через вратаря. 22 февраля 2003 года Роналдиньо забил гол в сезоне (выбран публичным голосованием) против Генгама — он победил одного соперника, прежде чем разыграл один-два, чтобы обыграть другого, затем поднял мяч. мяч больше трети перед тем, как отбить четвертый с шагом через (опускание плеча, движение вправо, но влево) и завершается поднятием мяча над вратарём.

Роналдиньо также получил высокую оценку за его выступление в Coupe de France, когда он забил оба гола в победе клуба над «Бордо» со счетом 2: 0 в полуфинале, что позволило «ПСЖ» выйти в финал. Забив свой первый гол на 22-й минуте, Роналдиньо завершил игру на 81-й минуте, точно отбив мяч в 18-ярдовой штрафной над головой вратаря Ульрих Раме, несмотря на то, что Раме находился в выгодной позиции. За свое выступление Роналдиньо получил овацию со стороны парижских сторонников. Однако, к несчастью для клуба, Роналдиньо и его команда не сумели достичь той формы, которая позволила им выйти в финал, поскольку они проиграли Осеру 2: 1 из-за гола на последней минуте Жан-Алена Бумсонга. Несмотря на выступления Роналдиньо, клуб занял неутешительное 11-е место. По окончании сезона Роналдиньо заявил, что хочет покинуть клуб после того, как столичный клуб не прошел квалификацию на какие-либо европейские соревнования.

Барселона

«Роналдиньо был ответственен за изменения в« Барсе ». Это было неподходящее время и изменение, которое произошло с его приходом, было поразительным «.

— Лионель Месси о влиянии прибытия Роналдиньо в Барселону.

Новоизбранный ФК Барселона президент Хоан Лапорта заявил: «Я сказал, что мы выведем« Барсу »на передовые позиции в футбольном мире, и для этого нам пришлось подписать одного из этих трех игроков, Дэвида Бекхэма, Тьерри Анри или Роналдиньо «. Генри остался с Арсеналом, и Лапорта пообещал привести Бекхэма в клуб, но после его перехода в Реал Мадрид Барселона вступила в гонку за Роналдиньо и перебила Манчестер Юнайтед за подпись в сделке на 30 миллионов евро.

Клуб, в котором он провел свои лучшие годы и основа его мировой известности, Роналдиньо дебютировал в «Барселоне» в товарищеском матче против «Ювентуса» на стадионе Gillette в Фоксборо, штат Массачусетс, 27 июля, тренер Фрэнк Райкард после матча заявил: «У него что-то особенное каждый раз, когда он касается мяча». Он забил свой первый соревновательный гол в Ла Лиге 3 сентября 2003 года против Севильи в 1.30 утра по местному времени в матче, который начался в пять минут после полуночи. Получив мяч от своего вратаря на своей половине поля, Роналдиньо пробежал через центр поля и обошел двух игроков «Севильи», а затем с 30 ярдов пробил мяч с нижней стороны перекладины и попал обратно в верхнюю часть сетки. Роналдиньо получил травму в первой половине кампании, а «Барселона» опустилась на 12-е место в турнирной таблице в середине сезона. Роналдиньо вернулся после травмы и забил 15 голов в Ла Лиге в сезоне 2003–04, что помогло команде в конечном итоге занять второе место в лиге. Его забитый пас стал победным голом для Хави на выезде в «Реал Мадрид» 25 апреля 2004 г., первая победа клуба на Бернабеу за семь лет, в результате Хави считает, что это начало «Взлет Барселоны».

сезон 2004–05

Роналдиньо (на фото в 2004 году) был назван игроком года в своем втором сезоне за клуб

Роналдиньо выиграл его титул первой лиги в 2004–05 годах, а 20 декабря 2004 года он был назван игроком года мира по версии FIFA. Его капитан в «Барселоне» Карлес Пуйоль заявил «Самый большой комплимент, который я мог бы ему сделать, — это то, что он вернул« Барселоне »наш дух. Он снова заставил нас улыбнуться». Его слава росла благодаря его увлекательной и продуктивной игре в Ла Лиге и Лиге чемпионов УЕФА. 8 марта 2005 года «Барселона» выбыла из последнего соревнования «Челси» в первом раунде на выбывание, проиграв 5–4 в двух матчах. Роналдиньо забил оба гола в ответном проигрыше со счетом 4: 2 на Стэмфорд Бридж в Лондоне, во втором был эффектный удар, где он сделал ложный выпад, прежде чем ударить по мячу. Вратарь «Челси» Петр Чех с расстояния 20 ярдов.

«Это как будто кто-то нажал на паузу, и на три секунды все игроки остановились, и я единственный, кто двигается».

— Роналдиньо размышляет о своем без обратного подъема удар ногой гол против «Челси».

1 мая 2005 года Роналдиньо сделал передачу при первом голе Лионеля Месси за «Барселону», выполнив точную передачу. Альбасете защита Месси до финиша. Поскольку его контракт истекал в 2008 году, Роналдиньо было предложено продление до 2014 года, которое принесло бы ему 85 миллионов фунтов стерлингов за девять лет, но он отказался. В сентябре 2005 года он подписал продление на два года, в котором содержалось положение об освобождении от минимальной платы, которое позволяло ему уйти, если клуб сделает предложение «Барселоне» на сумму не менее 85 миллионов фунтов стерлингов.

2005–06 сезон

Роналдиньо подал угловой против Сельта де Виго на Камп Ноу в 2005 году

К концу 2005 года Роналдиньо начал накапливать множество личных награды. Он выиграл инаугурационную Игрок года мира по версии FIFPro в сентябре 2005 г., помимо того, что был включен в FIFPro World XI 2005 г., и был назван европейским футболистом 2005 г. Год. Также в том же году Роналдиньо был признан игроком года мира по версии FIFA второй год подряд. Он стал лишь третьим игроком, получившим награду более одного раза после трехкратных победителей Роналду и Зинедина Зидана. Его превосходство как лучшего футболиста мира было бесспорным, поскольку он также выиграл престижный Золотой мяч в единственный раз в своей карьере.

19 ноября Роналдиньо забил дважды, когда Барселона победила Реал Мадрид 3–0 на выезде в первом этапе Эль-Класико. После того, как он запечатлел матч своим вторым голом, фанаты Мадрида воздавали должное его выступлению аплодисментами, столь редкая дань уважения, которую только Диего Марадона когда-либо удостоил раньше как игрок Барселоны на стадионе Сантьяго Бернабеу.. Роналдиньо заявил: «Я никогда этого не забуду, потому что очень редко любому футболисту аплодируют подобным образом фанаты соперника».

«Он передает много радости и удовольствия от игры, и у него есть индивидуальные навыки. на таком высоком уровне, что все в мире его обожают ».

— тренер« Барселоны »Франк Райкаард о Роналдиньо в сезоне 2005–06.

Этот сезон считается одним из лучших в карьере Роналдиньо, как и он сам. инструментальная часть первой Лиги чемпионов титула «Барселоны» за 14 лет. Убедительно выиграв свою группу, «Барселона» встретилась с «Челси» в 1/8 финала в матче-реванше прошлого года. Роналдиньо забил решающий гол в ответном матче, обойдя трех защитников «Челси» на краю штрафной площади, прежде чем обыграть вратаря, обеспечив «Барселоне» выход в следующий раунд. Он также внес один гол в выбывание «Барселоны» из «Бенфики» в четвертьфинале с домашней победой со счетом 2: 0. После полуфинальной победы с общим счетом 1: 0 над Миланом, в которой Роналдиньо ассистировал единственному голу в серии, забитый Людовиком Жули, Барселона вышла в Финал Лиги чемпионов, который они выиграли на 17 мая 2006 г. при поражении «Арсенала» 2: 1. Двумя неделями ранее «Барселона» завоевала второй подряд титул в Ла Лиге, победив со счетом 1: 0 над Сельта де Виго, что дало Роналдиньо свой первый в карьере дубль.

В течение сезона Роналдиньо играл вничью. с плодовитым камерунским нападающим Самуэлем Это’о в атаке, оказавшим ряд голевых передач нападающему с 34 голами; Пасс Роналдиньо также позволил Это’о забить в финале Лиги чемпионов, где его сбил голкипер «Арсенала» Йенс Леманн, которого удалили с поля. Роналдиньо закончил сезон с лучшими в карьере 26 головами, в том числе 17 в Ла Лиге и 7 в Лиге чемпионов, и был выбран в Команду года УЕФА в третий раз подряд и был назван лучшим в 2005 году. –06 Клубный футболист года УЕФА. Он был включен в список из шести человек на звание Лучшего спортсмена года Laureus World 2006 и был выбран в FIFA World XI.

сезон 2006–07

«Когда вы играете с и посмотреть, что он делает с мячом, меня больше ничего не удивляет. На днях он заставит мяч говорить ».

— товарищ по команде« Барселона »Эйдур Гуджонсен на Роналдиньо, декабрь 2006 г.

25 ноября 2006 года Роналдиньо забил свой 50-й гол в чемпионате против Вильярреала, а затем забил второй гол с эффектным ударом сверху велосипедом ; Получив прострел Хави, он подбросил мяч грудью и развернулся на 180 градусов до финиша — болельщики «Барселоны» размахивали белыми платками, восхищаясь голом. После матча он сказал журналистам, что последний гол он мечтал забить с детства. Он забил один раз и организовал два других в 4–0 клубном чемпионате мира Барселоны над мексиканским Club América 14 декабря в Иокогаме, Япония, но Барселона была победил 1: 0 бразильским клубом Интернасьонал в финале. Роналдиньо был удостоен награды «Бронзовый шар» за соревнование.

Роналдиньо с Фрэнком Райкардом в НАСА Космическом центре Джонсона в 2006 г.

На следующий день Роналдиньо финишировал третьим в Чемпионате мира по футболу 2006, уступив чемпионату мира 2006 капитану Фабио Каннаваро и Зинедину Зидану. Роналдиньо был вынужден пропустить благотворительный матч 13 марта из-за травмы, которую он получил несколькими днями ранее во время ничьей 3–3 «Эль Класико» с «Реалом». Хотя Роналдиньо забил свой лучший в карьере 21 гол в лиге, команда уступила титул «Реалу» с худшим результатом личных встреч, поскольку обе команды закончили сезон с одинаковым количеством очков.

2007–08 сезон

После завоевания всех главных трофеев в спорте, Роналдиньо начал терять концентрацию, больше веселиться и меньше тренироваться, и был продан «Барселоной».

Роналдиньо сыграл свой 200-й матч за «Барселону» в матче лиги против Осасуна 3 февраля 2008 года. Его кампания 2007–08 в целом, однако, страдала от травм, а разрыв мышцы на правой ноге 3 апреля преждевременно завершил сезон. Роналдиньо был профессиональным модельным специалистом и посвятил себя тренировкам во время своих чрезвычайно успешных первых трех сезонов в «Барселоне». Из-за вечеринок и отсутствия преданности тренировкам его физическое состояние ухудшилось, и многие в клубе полагали, что он уже был ниже своего пика. 19 мая 2008 года президент клуба «Барселона» Жоан Лапорта заявил, что Роналдиньо нужен «новый вызов», заявив, что ему нужен новый клуб, если он хочет возродить свою карьеру.

Роналдиньо присоединился к «Барсе» как зубасто ухмыляющийся волшебник, обладавший под его чарами три великолепных сезона. Он оставит довольно жалкую фигуру. Будет ли его магия исчерпана или ему просто нужно новое испытание, еще предстоит увидеть.

— Саймон Баскетт, Рейтер, июль 2008 г.

Роналдиньо и товарищ по команде «Барселона» Лионель Месси каждый был капитаном международной команды. звезд в показательном матче против расизма в Венесуэле 28 июня, который закончился ничьей со счетом 7–7. Роналдиньо закончил с парой голов и двумя передачами в своем последнем матче в качестве игрока «Барселоны». Готовясь к Joan Gamper Trophy 2010 года, Роналдиньо направил открытое письмо болельщикам и игрокам «Барселоны», заявив, что его лучшими годами были те пять лет, которые он провел в каталонском клубе. Для него это был печальный момент, и позже он сказал в интервью, что сожалеет о том, что ушел, не сыграв достаточно долго с Месси.

A.C. Милан

Роналдиньо Дэвид Бекхэм и Кака с тренером Милана Карло Анчелотти в 2009 году

В июле 2008 года Роналдиньо отклонил предложение в размере 25,5 миллионов фунтов стерлингов. из Манчестер Сити из Премьер-лиги, чтобы присоединиться к итальянским Серии А гигантам AC «Милан» с трехлетним контрактом, который оценивается примерно в 5,1 миллиона фунтов стерлингов (6,5 миллиона евро) в год, из которых 22,05 миллиона евро плюс 1,05 миллиона евро бонус за каждый сезон (24,15 миллиона евро в 2010 году). Поскольку номер 10 уже занят товарищем по команде Кларенсом Зеедорфом, он выбрал 80 в качестве номера на майке.

Роналдиньо забил свой первый гол за Милан в дерби со счетом 1: 0 победа над соперником Internazionale 28 сентября 2008 г. Его первая дубль состоялась в победе со счетом 3: 0 над Sampdoria 19 октября 2008 г. Он забил 93-ю минуту Победитель матча против «Браги» на групповом этапе Кубка УЕФА 6 ноября.

Роналдиньо завершил сезон 2008–09 в Милане с 10 голами в 32 матчах. соревнования. После хорошего начала сезона Роналдиньо боролся с фитнесом, и его часто играли со скамейки запасных, чтобы закончить разочаровывающий первый сезон для «Милана». Воспринимаемое отсутствие самоотдачи в тренировках и образ жизни, состоящий из вечеринок поздно вечером, не подобающий атлету, заставили его подвергнуться критике. Карло Анчелотти, его тренер в Милане в его первый сезон в Италии, прокомментировал: «Спад Роналдиньо меня не удивил. Его физическое состояние всегда было очень нестабильным. Его талант никогда не подвергался сомнению ».

сезон 2009–10 гг.

Роналдиньо играет за« Милан »в 2010 году под номером 80 — год его рождения.

Второй сезон Роналдиньо начался не на высокой ноте, но вскоре он заново открыл свою форму и стал, возможно, лучшим игроком сезона «Милана». Новоназначенный тренер Леонардо изменил свою роль с центрального атакующего полузащитника на левый край полузащиты, с Александром Пато справа, в наступательной схеме 4–3–3.

10 января 2010 года Роналдиньо забил два гола против Ювентуса в выездном матче, обеспечив победу россонери со счетом 3: 0. В следующем матче 17 января против Сиены Роналдиньо сделал свой первый хет-трик за Милан, реализовав пенальти, забив головой с углового и завершив удар в правый верхний угол. с 20 ярдов. Газета Estado De São Paulo заявила: «Роналдиньо возрождает свои золотые годы». 16 февраля Роналдиньо сыграл против «Манчестер Юнайтед» в Лиге чемпионов. Он забил в начале игры на Сан-Сиро и вывел «Милан» вперед. «Милан» проиграл матч 3–2, забив гол Пола Скоулза и два гола Уэйн Руни.

. Роналдиньо закончил сезон как лидер передачи Серии А <123.>. Однако менее позитивным моментом является то, что он пропустил три пенальти во внутреннем сезоне, чтобы добавить к одному неудачному удару в предыдущем сезоне. Роналдиньо завершил кампанию Серии А, забив два гола «Ювентусу»; Лука Антонини открыл счет, и Милан выиграл 3: 0 в последней ответственной игре Леонардо.

сезон 2010–11 гг.

В первой половине сезона, Роналдиньо участвовал в атаке команды, в которую также входили два новых игрока: Златан Ибрагимович и Робиньо. Перед зимним перерывом он провел 16 матчей, забил гол и сделал несколько результативных передач. Несмотря на то, что он покинул клуб в середине сезона, он все еще имел право на медаль победителя Серии А 2010–11 гг., Поскольку Милан выиграл соревнование.

Фламенго

Роналдиньо отмечает голы для Flamengo в феврале 2011 г.

После того, как Роналдиньо вернулся в свой детский клуб Grêmio, он присоединился к Flamengo 11 января 2011 г. с контрактом, заканчивающимся в 2014 г. Во время саги о трансферах во многих сообщениях бывшего игрока года мира упоминалось присоединение к разным клубам, таким как LA Galaxy из Major League Soccer, Blackburn Rovers Премьер-лиги и бразильских клубов Коринтианс и Палмейрас. На открытии его нового клуба 13 января 2011 года его приветствовали более 20 000 фанатов.

Роналдиньо забил свой первый гол за «Фламенго» в победе со счетом 3: 2 против Боавишта 6 февраля. 2011. 27 февраля он реализовал штрафной удар во втором тайме для «Фламенго», победив «Боавишта» со счетом 1: 0 и выиграв свой первый серебряный приз с командой, Така Гуанабара. Роналдиньо выиграл свой первый трофей с «Фламенго» после того, как керлинг нанес удар правой ногой через стену на 71-й минуте на стадионе Энженьян. Этот гол принес «Фламенго» 19-й титул «Такса Гуанабара», за который двумя месяцами позже был получен титул Campeonato Carioca, а также команда выиграла Taça Rio. 27 июля 2011 года Роналдиньо сделал хет-трик в матче «Фламенго» со счетом 5: 4 на выезде над соперником Сантосом, проиграв 3: 0 в первые 30 минут. 31 мая 2012 года, после отсутствия в течение нескольких дней, он подал в суд на «Фламенго», заявив о невыплате в течение четырех месяцев, и аннулировал свой контракт с клубом.

Атлетико Минейро

Роналдиньо с Атлетико Минейро в бразильской серии A в октябре 2012 г.

Роналдиньо перешел в «Атлетико Минейро» 4 июня 2012 г. по шестимесячному контракту, всего через четыре дня после ухода из «Фламенго». Он носил номер 49 в соответствии с годом рождения его матери, поскольку его предпочтительный номер 10 уже был назначен Гильерме в сезоне 2012 года.

Роналдиньо дебютировал за Гало 9 июня 2012 года, играя провел 90 минут в выездной победе со счетом 1: 0 над Палмейрасом и забил свой первый гол за клуб 23 июня 2012 года против Наутико с пенальти. Роналдиньо привел «Атлетико Минейро» к хорошему сезону 2012 года, в котором клуб занял второе место в Бразилейране 2012 года и квалифицировался на Кубок Либертадорес 2013 года. Роналдиньо получил награду Бола де Оуро и был признан лучшим игроком лиги.

Карьера Роналдиньо ставит под серьезный вопрос. Должны ли мы быть благодарными за то, что он нам дал, или сердиться на то, что все закончилось так быстро? Рад, что поделился с ним подачей в течение 90 минут, нет никаких сомнений в том, как игроки Раджа Касабланки отдали бы свои голоса.

Тим Викери о том, что Роналдиньо был на шесть лет после его расцвета, и подвергался нападению игроков оппозиции на клубном чемпионате мира по футболу FIFA 2013.

В следующем году Роналдиньо помог «Атлетико» выиграть Campeonato Mineiro и привел клуб к его первому Copa Libertadores название. Роналдиньо забил четыре гола и семь раз ассистировал во время драматической борьбы за титул «Атлетико», включая последовательные камбэки после поражений в первых матчах 0–2 в полуфинале против аргентинского клуба Newell’s Old Boys и в финале . против Club Olimpia из Парагвая. Обе ничьи после серии пенальти были определены в пользу «Атлетико». Несмотря на то, что Роналдиньо на шесть лет отставал от своих лучших результатов, он был признан футболистом года Южной Америки в 2013 году.

На клубном чемпионате мира по футболу 2013 года, который проходил в Марокко в декабре, «Атлетико» проиграл 3–1 на Раджа Касабланка в полуфинале, Роналдиньо забил гол со штрафного. Когда прозвучал финальный свисток, команда Raja Casablanca бросилась к своему кумиру детства и раздели его до трусов в поисках сувениров. Он возобновил свой контракт с Атлетико в январе 2014 года. После победы в Recopa Sudamericana 2014 Роналдиньо покинул клуб в июле, достигнув соглашения о расторжении контракта по обоюдному согласию.

Керетаро

Став свободным агентом, Роналдиньо предложил контракты с английским Conference South клубом Basingstoke Town и недавно созданной франшизой Indian Super League Chennai Титаны через своего совладельца Прашанта Агарвала, но в итоге 5 сентября 2014 года подписали двухлетний контракт с мексиканским клубом Керетаро. Роналдиньо дебютировал за Керетаро с поражением со счетом 1: 0 до Тигрес УАНЛ где пропустил пенальти. Однако в следующем матче против Гвадалахары у него была гораздо лучшая игра: Камило Санвеццо забил, а также забил себя с пенальти в победе со счетом 4–1.. 30 октября 2014 года он забил штрафной удар против Атласа во время выездного матча на Estadio Jalisco.

18 апреля 2015 года Роналдиньо дважды забил гол против Liga MX title. -холдеры «Америка» в выездном матче на стадионе «Ацтека», в котором его команда выиграла 4–0. Все зрители, в основном болельщики Америки, аплодировали Роналдиньо стоя после того, как его голы довели его до слез. Это был второй раз в карьере Роналдиньо, когда он получил такую ​​овацию от болельщиков-соперников (после того, как фанаты Мадрида аплодировали его выступлению в футболке с «Барселоной» в 2005 году), и после матча Роналдиньо заявил в интервью: «Это эмоция для живи больше. Я получил овации на Бернабеу и теперь здесь. Я никогда не мог себе этого представить. Это то, что заставляет меня любить Мексику еще больше, и я чувствую себя как дома ».

Роналдиньо забил два пенальти в матчах подряд, во втором — Керетаро попадет в плей-офф Liga MX. 17 мая 2015 года Керетаро вышел в полуфинал, победив Веракрус в сумме 4–3. Во втором матче Роналдиньо реализовал штрафной с помощью вратаря соперника, который контактировал с мячом. Керетаро в конечном итоге вышел в финал после победы над Пачукой по сумме двух матчей. В финале против Сантоса Лагуны Керетаро проиграл первый лег 0–5, а затем выиграл второй матч 3–0, но проиграл 3–5 по сумме двух матчей. В июне 2015 года 35-летний Роналдиньо объявил о своем уходе из клуба и поблагодарил мексиканцев и поклонников Керетаро: «Я хочу поблагодарить весь мексиканский народ за все дни, которые я прожил с такими особенными людьми, вы будете навсегда в моем сердце. Большое спасибо Nation Gallos Blancos, которые заставили меня очень гордиться носить эту футболку и защищать этот клуб ».

Fluminense

11 июля 2015 года, Роналдиньо объявил о своем возвращении в Бразилию и подписал 18-месячный контракт с Fluminense, но 28 сентября Роналдиньо достиг взаимного соглашения с клубом о расторжении сделки. За два месяца пребывания в клубе он сыграл девять матчей, но не произвел впечатления и подвергся жесткой критике со стороны фанатов. Спортивный директор Fluminense Марио Биттенкур заявил: «Роналдиньо попросил нас о встрече. Он уважительно сказал нам, что не чувствует, что может выступать так хорошо, как хотел, и что это плохая ситуация для него. Он сделал отличный жест в говоря, что он не был игроком, которым, как он чувствовал, мог бы быть прямо сейчас. Я никогда не буду говорить о том, уходит он или нет. Это не то, что вы скажете об игроке его уровня. Он всегда был впечатляющим как игрок, так и человек. «

Футзал в Индии

Роналдиньо подписал контракт с футбольным мячом на Web Summit в ноябре 2016 года

В июле 2016 года Роналдиньо играл за Goa 5, a команда по футзалу из Гоа в Индии вместе с Райаном Гиггзом, Полом Скоулзом, Мичел Сальгадо и Эрнаном Креспо, а также игрок в футзал Фалькао в Премьер-лиге по футзалу. После двух игр он покинул Индию, чтобы стать послом Летних Паралимпийских игр 2016 в Рио-де-Жанейро. Его заменил Кафу.

С сентября по начало октября 2017 года Роналдиньо присоединился к Delhi Dragons из Дели в Премьер-лиге по футзалу. Он забил 16 голов в восьми играх.

Выход на пенсию

16 января 2018 года Роналдиньо подтвердил свой уход из футбола через своего брата / агента: «Он остановился, этому конец. Давайте что-нибудь сделаем. довольно большой и красивый после чемпионата мира по футболу, наверное, в августе «. Такое празднование должно было состояться через три года после его последнего выступления в «Флуминенсе», но так и не состоялось. Он ушел в отставку как один из семи игроков, выигравших Чемпионат мира по футболу, Лигу чемпионов УЕФА и Золотой мяч.

. Роналдиньо появился на Церемония закрытия чемпионата мира по футболу FIFA 2018 на стадионе «Лужники» в Москве 15 июля, исполнение нескольких тактов русской народной песни «Калинка «(в исполнении оперной певицы Аиды Гарифуллиной ) на африканском барабане.

Международная карьера

Молодежные команды

Роналдиньо — один из немногих бразильских игроков играть на любом международном возрастном уровне. В 1997 году он был частью первой бразильской команды, выигравшей чемпионат мира FIFA U-17, который проходил в Египте, где его первым голом стал пенальти против Австрия в матче первой группы, который Бразилия выиграла со счетом 7: 0. Роналдиньо забил два гола и был награжден бронзовым мячом, так как Бразилия забила в общей сложности 21 гол, пропустив всего 2.

1999 был напряженным годом для Роналдиньо с точки зрения международной игры. Сначала он участвовал в молодежном чемпионате Южной Америки, где забил три гола и помог юноше занять третье место. Затем он принял участие в чемпионате мира среди молодежи в Нигерии того же года, забив свой первый гол в последнем групповом матче Бразилии. В 1/8 финала он забил два гола в первом тайме при победе со счетом 4: 0 над Хорватией и закончил с тремя голами, когда в четвертьфинале Уругвай выбыли из Бразилии..

Ранний успех

26 июня, за три дня до начала Кубка Америки 1999 года, он заработал свою первую игру за Бразилию в победе со счетом 3: 0. Латвия, и он забил один гол в победном бразильском Кубке Америки. Через неделю после завершения Кубка Америки он был вызван на Кубок Конфедераций ФИФА 1999, в котором он забивал в каждом матче, кроме финала, включая хет-трик в полуфинале 8: 2. окончательный разгром Саудовской Аравии. В финале Бразилия проиграла со счетом 4–3 Мексике. Роналдиньо получил награду «Золотой мяч» как лучший игрок турнира, а также награду «Золотая бутса» лучшему бомбардиру турнира.

Роналдиньо с президентом Бразилии Лула на Стадион Уэмбли, Лондон

В 2000 году Роналдиньо участвовал в Летних Олимпийских играх в Сиднее, Австралия, вместе с национальной сборной U23. Ранее в том же году Роналдиньо привел Бразилию к победе в предолимпийском турнире, забив девять голов в семи матчах. Однако на Олимпийских играх Бразилия вылетела в четвертьфинале Камеруном, который позже выиграл золотую медаль. Роналдиньо появился четыре раза и забил только один гол, который пришелся на четвертьфинальное поражение от Камеруна.

Слава чемпионата мира 2002 года

Накануне финала Роналду, Ривалдо и Роналдиньо согрелись на стадионе Йокогамы, весело пытаясь перехитрить друг друга под японским дождиком.

— Эми Лоуренс из The Guardian на связи «трех R».

Роналдиньо участвовал в своем первом чемпионате мира в 2002 году в рамках грозного наступления. отряд с Роналду и Ривалдо, получивший прозвище «Три Р», которые также входили в состав победившей команды Кубка Америки 1999. Чемпионат мира по футболу проводился в Корее и Японии, и Роналдиньо участвовал в пяти матчах турнира и забил два гола, а также сделал несколько важных передач. Его первый гол забил в матче группового этапа против China PR, который Бразилия выиграла со счетом 4: 0.

Самый запоминающийся матч в карьере Роналдиньо на чемпионате мира прошел в четверти. финал против Англии 21 июня. С отставанием от Бразилии после 23-минутного удара Майкла Оуэна, Роналдиньо перевернул игру. Получив мяч на своей половине поля, Роналдиньо побежал к защите Англии и ошибся звездному защитнику Эшли Коул с фирменным знаком перешагнул перед тем, как передать мяч Ривалдо на краю поля. штрафная площадь, чтобы забить сравняющий гол перед самым перерывом. Затем, на 50-й минуте, Роналдиньо со штрафного пробил с 40 ярдов, и вогнал в верхний левый угол сетки, совершенно неожиданно для голкипера Англии Дэвида Симана, и Бразилия получила 2–1 отведение. Однако семь минут спустя он был удален с поля за фол на защитнике Англии Дэнни Миллсе. Роналдиньо был дисквалифицирован на время полуфинала, но вернулся в стартовый состав Бразилии и одержал победу со счетом 2: 0 над Германией в финале, поскольку Бразилия выиграла свой рекордный пятый титул на чемпионате мира.

Роналдиньо против швейцарца Ксавьера Маргайраза

титул Кубка Конфедераций 2005 года

Следующим международным турниром Роналдиньо стал Кубок Конфедераций 2003 года, в котором он проиграл по счету, поскольку Бразилия выбыла из группы этап. В следующем году он был исключен из команды Бразилии 2004 Copa América, так как тренер Карлос Альберто Паррейра решил дать отдых своим звездам и использовал в основном резервную команду.

После проиграв в 1999 и 2003 годах, Роналдиньо был капитаном сборной Бразилии и привел свою команду к ее второму титулу в Кубке конфедераций в 2005 году. Он реализовал пенальти в полуфинальной победе над принимающей Германией со счетом 3: 2. и был назван Лучшим игроком матча в победе со счетом 4: 1 над главным соперником Аргентиной в финале 29 июня. Роналдиньо забил три гола в турнире и в настоящее время имеет равное с мексиканским форвардом Куаутемок Бланко как лучший бомбардир турнира с девятью голами.

Разочарование на чемпионате мира-2006

Роналдиньо с Бразилией в 2006 году

На Чемпионате мира по футболу в 2006 году Роналдиньо был частью широко разрекламированного бразильского «волшебного квартета» нападающих вместе с Адриано, Роналду и Кака, который должен был обеспечить стиль игры «Йога Бонито », который был в центре внимания обширной рекламной кампании Nike перед турниром. Однако, считая себя «тяжелым и неуравновешенным», команда закончила с шестью голами в пяти играх, а сам Роналдиньо остался без очков и закончил с одной передачей (гол Жилберто в группе 4–1 сценическая победа над Японией ), так как он показал худшее коллективное выступление в своей международной карьере. Бразилия пережила неутешительную кампанию, завершившуюся поражением со счетом 1: 0 от Франции в четвертьфинале, в ходе которого «Селесао» забили только один мяч.

Как отреагирует Роналдиньо? После того, как Пеле разочаровался в чемпионате мира 1966 года, он боролся, как лев, чтобы привести себя в хорошую форму к 1970 году. Роналдиньо пошел другим путем, который привел в ночной клуб, а не на тренировочную площадку. 905>Тим Викери для ESPN, январь 2018.

Команда подверглась резкой критике со стороны бразильских фанатов и СМИ после их возвращения домой. 3 июля, через два дня после ликвидации Бразилии, вандалы сожгли и разрушили статую Роналдиньо Шапеко высотой 23 фута (7,5 метра) из стекловолокна и смолы. Статуя была установлена ​​в 2004 году в ознаменование его первой награды «Игрок года мира по версии ФИФА». В тот же день Роналдиньо, к которому присоединился Адриано, вернулся в город Барселона и устроил вечеринку в своем доме, которая продолжалась до раннего утра в ночном клубе. Это усугубило обиду многих бразильских болельщиков, которые считали, что их предали отсутствие усилий со стороны команды. Проявляя пассивность по отношению к плохим показателям Бразилии, чемпионат мира 2006 года теперь рассматривается как поворотный момент в карьере Роналдиньо, поскольку его время на вершине игры почти истекло. Победитель чемпионата мира 1970 года в Бразилии Тостао писал в O Tempo: «Роналдиньо не хватает важной характеристики Марадоны и Пеле — агрессии. Они трансформировались в невзгодах. Они стали одержимый и разъяренный. «

Олимпийская медаль 2008 года

24 марта 2007 года Роналдиньо дважды забил в победе со счетом 4: 0 над Чили, что стало его первым голом с тех пор. финал Кубка Конфедераций 2005 года и, таким образом, завершился нулевой по счету серией, длившейся почти два года. Он не был вызван на 2007 Copa América после того, как попросил, чтобы его сняли с турнира из-за усталости. 18 октября он был заменен «Барселоной» на запасной после того, как поздно вернулся в Испанию после товарищеской победы Бразилии над Эквадором со счетом 5: 0. Он и несколько игроков из Бразилии отпраздновали победу, устроив вечеринку всю ночь в шикарном ночном клубе Рио-де-Жанейро. Роналдиньо уехал в 11 часов утра следующего дня, предположительно, в багажнике автомобиля, чтобы избежать общения со СМИ.

Роналдиньо на летних Олимпийских играх 2008 года в Пекине

7 июля 2008 года Роналдиньо был назван в бразильской команде летних Олимпийских игр в составе команды как один из пожилых игроков. «Барселона» изначально заблокировала переезд из-за его предстоящих на тот момент обязательств перед клубом в Лиге чемпионов, но позже решение было аннулировано после перехода Роналдиньо в «Милан», который, в свою очередь, позволил ему отправиться в Пекин, Китай. Роналдиньо был капитаном команды, и он забил свои единственные два гола в победе со счетом 5: 0 над Новой Зеландией, прежде чем Бразилия была побеждена Аргентиной в полуфинале. Бразилия финишировала с бронзовой медалью после победы над Бельгией 3–0 в матче за бронзовую медаль.

Отсутствие на ЧМ 2010 и 2014 гг.

Несмотря на то, что вернулась в хорошую форму и назван в качестве члена предварительной команды из 30 человек, которая была представлена ​​ФИФА 11 мая 2010 года, он не был упомянут в финальном составе тренера Дунги из 23 человек для бразильской команды в Южной Африке на Чемпионат мира 2010 несмотря на его огромное желание участвовать в соревнованиях. Критики утверждали, что исключение таких игроков, как Роналдиньо, Александр Пато, Адриано и Роналду, стало сигналом отхода от классического бразильского атакующего стиля игры «Джого Бонито». На турнире Бразилия вылетела из Нидерландов в четвертьфинале.

В сентябре 2011 года Роналдиньо вернулся в национальную команду под руководством тренера Мано Менезеша в товарищеском матче против Ганы на Фулхэме с Craven Cottage, сыграв полные 90 минут в победе над Бразилией со счетом 1: 0. Затем он отлично сыграл в товарищеских матчах против Аргентины в том же месяце. В октябре он хорошо сыграл против Мексики в товарищеском матче, забив штрафной и сравняв счет после удаления Дани Алвеса. Бразилия выиграла матч, забив гол Марсело.

. Хорошая форма Роналдиньо продолжилась в 2013 году, а в январе его неожиданно вызвал тренер Луис Фелипе Сколари для товарищеского матча с Англией. 6 февраля на стадионе Уэмбли в рамках празднования 150-летия футбольной ассоциации Футбольной ассоциации (FA). Роналдиньо начал свой 100-й матч за сборную (включая неофициальные матчи) и имел шанс забить с пенальти, но его удар отразил Джо Харт. Бразилия проиграла матч 1–2. Он был снова вызван на «Селесао», став капитаном национальной сборной на товарищеский матч с Чили 24 апреля 2013 года. Однако Роналдиньо не был выбран в национальную команду на Кубок Конфедераций 2013, и он также не был включен в состав финальной команды Сколари ЧМ-2014.

Профиль игрока

Стиль игры

Домашняя футболка сезона 2005–06 «Барселона». Роналдиньо носил номер 10 большую часть своей клубной и международной карьеры.

Роналдиньо Гаучо считается одним из величайших и самых умелых игроков как своего поколения, так и всех времен. Благодаря своей способности забивать и забивать голы, он был способен играть на нескольких атакующих позициях, как на флангах, так и в свободном центральном положении. На протяжении всей своей карьеры его часто использовали в качестве нападающего или вингера, хотя обычно он играл классическим номером 10 в атакующей полузащите. роль. Хотя он от природы правш, во время своего пребывания в «Барселоне» Роналдиньо также иногда использовался в качестве перевернутого вингера на левом фланге тренером Фрэнком Райкаардом, в то время как левоногий Месси был задействован справа; эта позиция позволяла ему атаковать защитников с внешней стороны и пересекать мяч или врезаться внутрь и бить по воротам более сильной ногой. Он также был способен играть в качестве второго нападающего.

Несмотря на то, что в первую очередь был творческим игроком, который славился своими пасами, дальновидностью и умением играть, Роналдиньо был точным завершающим ударом любой ногой, как изнутри, так и снаружи. штрафной площади, а также быть специалистом по штрафному удару и штрафному удару. Хотя он был в первую очередь известен своей способностью сгибать мяч со стандартных положений, он также был способен наносить удары по мячу с силой под стеной, а также иногда использовал технику кастета, которую популяризировал его соотечественник Жуниньо Пернамбукано. Его универсальность и мастерство исполнения стандартных положений сделали его одним из самых успешных исполнителей штрафных в истории, а также повлияли на его бывшего товарища по команде Месси, который впоследствии сам стал специалистом по штрафным ударам.

На протяжении всей своей карьеры Роналдиньо был отмечен экспертами, в частности, за его технические навыки, чутье и креативность, а также за его исключительное первое прикосновение. Благодаря своему темпу, ускорению, атлетизму, равновесию, контролю мяча и дриблингу он был способен побеждать игроков при выполнении индивидуальных пробежек, часто используя множество трюков и финтов, чтобы получить прошлые противники в ситуациях один на один, включая перешагивание и мускатный орех. Ричард Уильямс, физически сильный и владеющий мячом, пишет: «У бразильца стройного телосложения есть сила, опровергающая его мультяшную улыбку». Он также включил яркие движения, такие как пятки назад, удары ногами на велосипеде и пропуски без взгляда, в свой общий игровой процесс. Среди его репертуаров есть «elastico», движение, которому он научился, просмотрев видео с одним из своих кумиров, бразильской звездой 1970-х годов Ривелино. Роналдиньо стал известен как один из лучших мастеров финта, и в некоторых частях Африки, особенно в Нигерии, этот прием теперь называют «Гаучо» в его честь из-за его роли в популяризации использования этого особого навыка.

Прием

В дополнение к его способности вести мяч и демонстрировать широкий спектр навыков, Роналдиньо также был известен своим творчеством и видением.

ESPN описал Роналдиньо как «умелого по натуре, его беспрецедентные трюки, и он прекрасно владеет мячом у своих ног. Один из самых крутых игроков в ситуациях давления »и« быстрый, дерзкий, умелый, хитрый, раскованный плеймейкер », который обеспечивает« сочетание голы, передачи, навыки и большой репертуар хитрых ходов ». Златан Ибрагимович заявил:« Премьер Роналдиньо был феноменальным. Он делал своих противников похожими на детей ». Бывший Португалия плеймейкер-полузащитник Руи Коста так сказал о своем видении и пасовых способностях: «Немногие игроки могут так забивать голевые передачи, как он. Он просто великолепен. Он — это редкий случай, когда ассистент может передать мяч откуда угодно «. В 2010 году его бывший товарищ по команде «Барселона», Эдгар Дэвидс, сказал о нем: «Роналдиньо был лучшим игроком, с которым я когда-либо играл, по навыкам и хитростям». Другой его бывший товарищ по команде «Барселона», Хенрик Ларссон, поддержал эту точку зрения. Его соотечественник Виллиан оценил его как величайшего игрока всех времен в 2019 году, а Жуниньо назвал его самым умелым игроком, которого он когда-либо видел. В 2019 году FourFourTwo назвал его «возможно, лучшим техником в истории футбола Бразилии», поставив его на пятую строчку в своем списке «101 величайший футболист за последние 25 лет». В 2006 году Ричард Уильямс из The Guardian описал Роналдиньо как «гения», а его бывший товарищ по команде «Барселона» Сильвиньо сказал о нем: «Он такой умный, такой умный, что иногда это сложно. читать его мысли », также добавив:« Он потрясающий. Он на 100% талантлив. К тому же он мощный игрок, поэтому его трудно остановить ».

Несмотря на его выступления на пике карьеры, В период самоотверженности и целеустремленности, когда он дважды был назван игроком года мира по версии FIFA и получил Золотой мяч, Роналдиньо также иногда подвергался критике в СМИ за его отсутствие дисциплина на тренировках, а также его гедонистический образ жизни вне поля, который, по мнению некоторых экспертов, повлиял на общую продолжительность его карьеры. Ссылаясь на Роналдиньо как на «детского гения Бразилии, который так и не вырос», Тим Викери пишет, что именно внезапная смерть его отца в столь юном возрасте могла стать причиной того, что Роналдиньо перестал приносить жертвы, необходимые для того, чтобы оставаться на вершине этого вида спорта. с отношением «жизнь коротка и может закончиться неожиданно — так что наслаждайся ею, пока можешь».

Вне футбола

Роналдиньо (на фото с «Барселоной» в 2007 году) был ЮНИСЕФ посол с февраля 2006 года.

Роналдиньо был одобрен многими компаниями, включая Nike, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, EA Sports, Gatorade и Danone. Один из самых высокооплачиваемых игроков в мире, в 2006 году он заработал более 19 миллионов долларов на рекламе. Поддерживая Pepsi на протяжении большей части своей карьеры и снявшись в рекламе с Дэвидом Бекхэмом, Тьерри Анри и Лионелем Месси, Роналдиньо подписал контракт с Coca-Cola в 2011 году., однако это было прекращено в июле 2012 года после того, как он был пойман за употреблением пепси на пресс-конференции.

Роналдиньо участвовал в серии видеоигр FIFA от EA Sports, появившись на обложке FIFA Football 2004, FIFA 06, FIFA 07, FIFA 08 и FIFA 09. В начале своей карьеры Роналдиньо подписал выгодный 10-летний контракт с компанией Nike, производящей спортивную одежду (он носил обувь Nike Tiempo R10, разработанную для него). Он появлялся в рекламе Nike, в том числе в рекламе 2002 года «Secret Tournament » (под брендом «Scorpion KO») режиссера Терри Гиллиама. Его реклама Nike 2005 года, где ему дают новую пару бутс, а затем он продолжает жонглировать футбольным мячом и, кажется, неоднократно бросает его в перекладину ворот и отбивает его без мяч, касающийся земли, стал вирусным на YouTube, став первым видео сайта, которое набрало миллион просмотров. В рекламном ролике Nike 2010 года Write the Future, поставленном Алехандро Гонсалесом Иньярриту, он выполняет несколько шагов, которые стали вирусным видео, воспроизведенным и опубликованным. миллионы раз.

Восковая скульптура Роналдиньо была открыта в мадам Тюссо в Гонконге в декабре 2007 года. Роналдиньо играл официальную роль в ЮНИСЕФ, ООН Детский фонд, с февраля 2006 года. В 2011 году он был принят на работу Объединенной программой Организации Объединенных Наций по ВИЧ / СПИДу для повышения осведомленности молодежи об этой болезни и о том, как ее избежать. В марте 2015 года Роналдиньо был шестым по популярности спортсменом в Facebook после Криштиану Роналду, Месси, Бекхэма, Неймара и Кака. с 31 миллионом поклонников в Facebook. У Роналдиньо также более 50 миллионов подписчиков в Instagram.

6 июля 2018 года Роналдиньо объявил о партнерстве с компанией World Soccer Coin (WSC) для разработки новой криптовалюты, Ronaldinho Soccer Coin, с WSC утверждая, что прибыль от монеты будет использована для футбольных проектов, таких как «Цифровые стадионы Роналиньо».

Проблемы с законом

В июле 2019 года 57 объектов недвижимости, принадлежащих Роналдиньо, а также его бразильские и испанские паспорта были изъяты из-за неуплаты налогов и штрафов. В конечном итоге судья решил уменьшить штраф с примерно 2,3 миллиона долларов до 1,5 миллиона за строительство рыболовной платформы на реке Гуаиба в «охраняемом» районе. Роналдиньо и его брат в конечном итоге не уплатят штрафы в отведенное время, и их паспорта будут приостановлены.

В марте 2020 года он был допрошен полицией в Парагвае после того, как он предположительно использовал поддельный паспорт для входа в страна приехала на благотворительную акцию и продвижение книги, а Роналдиньо и его брат находятся под стражей в стране. Находясь в тюрьме, он участвовал в тюремном турнире по футзалу, где его команда одержала победу. В финале они выиграли со счетом 11: 2, Роналдиньо забил 5 голов и ассистировал остальным 6. Он попытался обжаловать постановление о задержании, но ему было приказано оставаться под домашним арестом вместе со своим братом. 24 августа 2020 года Роналдиньо и его брат были освобождены из парагвайской тюрьмы после того, как их судья согласился на сделку о признании вины за братьев в размере 90 000 и 110 000 долларов соответственно.

Статистика карьеры

Клуб

Источник:

Матчи и голы по клубам, сезонам и соревнованиям

Клуб	Сезон	Лига	Кубок	Continental	Другое	Всего
Подразделение	Приложения	Цели	Приложения	Цели	Приложения	Цели	Приложения	Цели	Приложения	Цели
Гремио	1998	Brasileirão	14	1	2	0	15	3	17	4	48	8
1999	17	6	3	0	4	2	24	15	48	23
2000	21	14	6	6	—	22	21	49	41
Всего	52	21	11	6	19	5	63	40	145	72
Paris Saint-Germain	2001–02	Дивизион 1	28	9	6	2	6	2	—	40	13
2002–03	27	8	6	3	4	1	—	37	12
Всего	55	17	12	5	10	3	—	77	25
Барселона	2003–04	Ла Лига	32	15	6	3	7	4	—	45	22
2004–05	35	9	0	0	7	4	—	42	13
2005–06	29	17	2	1	12	7	2	1	45	26
2006–07	32	21	4	0	11	3	2	0	49	24
2007–08	17	8	1	0	8	1	—	26	9
Всего	145	70	13	4	45	19	4	1	207	94
Милан	2008–09	Серия A	29	8	1	0	6	2	—	36	10
2009–10	36	12	0	0	7	3	—	43	15
2010– 11	11	0	0	0	5	1	—	16	1
Всего	76	20	1	0	18	6	—	95	26
Flamengo	2011	Brasileirão	31	14	5	1	3	2	13	4	52	21
2012	2	1	0	0	8	2	10	4	20	7
Всего	33	15	5	1	11	4	23	8	72	28
Atlético Mineiro	2012	Brasileirão	32	9	0	0	—	—	32	9
2013	14	7	2	0	14	4	8	6	38	17
2014	2	0	—	9	1	4	0	15	1
Всего	48	16	2	0	23	5	12	6	85	27
Querétaro	2014–15	Liga MX	25	8	4	0	—	—	29	8
Fluminense	2015	Brasileirão	7	0	2	0	—	—	9	0
Всего за карьеру	441	167	50	16	126	42	102	55	719	280

1. ^Включая соревнования штатов Бразилии и национальные суперкубки.

Международный

Источник:

Матчи и голы по национальной сборной и год

Сборная	Год	Приложения	Цели
Бразилия	1999	13	7
2000	5	1
2001	4	1
2002	10	4
2003	8	2
2004	10	6
2005	12	6
2006	9	0
2007	11	5
2008	2	0
2009	3	0
2010	1	0
2011	5	1
2012	1	0
2013	3	0
Всего	97	33

Честь

Клуб

Пари Сен-Жермен

• Кубок Интертото УЕФА : 2001

Барселона

• Ла Лига : 2004–05, 2005–06
• Supercopa de España : 2005, 2006
• Лига чемпионов УЕФА : 2005–06

Милан

• Серия A : 2010–11

Фламенго

• Campeonato Carioca : 2011

Атлетико Минейро

• Кампеонато Минейро : 2013
• Copa Libertadores : 2013
• Recopa Sudamericana : 2014

Международный

Бразилия

• Чемпионат мира FIFA U-17 : 1997
• Кубок Америки : 1999
• Предолимпийский турнир CONMEBOL : 2000
• Чемпионат мира по футболу : 2002
• Кубок Конфедераций FIFA : 2005
• Бронзовая медаль Олимпийских игр : 2008

Индивидуальный чемпионат

• Золотой мяч Кубка Конфедераций FIFA : 1999
• FIFA Золотая обувь Кубка Конфедераций : 1999
• Южная Америка Команда года: 1999
• Бола де Прата : 2000, 2011, 2012
• Матч звезд чемпионата мира по футболу : 2002
• Лига 1 Гол года : 2003
• Лучший иностранный игрок Ла Лиги : 2003–04, 2005–06
• Trofeo EFE : 2003–04
• Игрок года мира по версии FIFA : 2004, 2005
• Команда года УЕФА : 2004, 2005, 2006
• World Soccer Magazine Лучший игрок года в мире по версии журнала World Soccer : 2004, 2005
• Клубный нападающий года УЕФА : 2004–05
• Кубок Конфедераций ФИФА Бронзовый мяч: 2005
• Золотой мяч : 2005
• Onze d’Or : 2005
• Игрок года мира по версии FIFPro : 2005, 2006
• FIFPro World XI : 2005, 2006, 2007
• Футболист клуба УЕФА e Год : 2005–06
• Ла Лига лучший помощник: 2005–06
• Лига чемпионов УЕФА лучший помощник: 2005–06
• FIFA Клубный чемпионат мира Бронзовый мяч : 2006
• Игрок года мира по версии FIFA Бронзовая награда: 2006
• Golden Foot : 2009
• Sports Illustrated Команда десятилетия : 2009
• Серия A лучший помощник по оказанию помощи: 2009–10
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série Команда года : 2011, 2012
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série Лучший игрок болельщика : 2012
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A лучший ассистент: 2012
• Bola de Ouro : 2012
• Кубок Либертадорес лучший помощник по ассистентам: 2012, 2013
• Южноамериканский футболист года : 2013
• Лучшая команда года по версии УЕФА (заменить; опубликовано в 2015 г.)
• FIFA 100
• Зал славы Бразильского музея футбола
• A.C. Милан Зал славы

Другое

В 2012 году два бразильских энтомолога назвали новый вид пчел из Бразилии, Eulaema quadragintanovem, заявив, что «конкретный эпитет чтит бразильского футболиста Роналду де Ассиса. Морейра, известный во всем мире как «Роналдиньо», а в Бразилии — как «Роналдиньо Гаучо». «Quadraginta novem» на латыни означает «сорок девять», это номер футболки Роналдиньо в «Атлетико Минейро», его бывшей команде в Бразилии. Роналдиньо выбрал номер 49 в качестве номера. дань уважения его матери, родившейся в 1949 г. «

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In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is de Assis and the second or paternal family name is Moreira.

Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Ronaldo de Assis Moreira[1]
Date of birth	21 March 1980 (age 42)[1]
Place of birth	Porto Alegre, Brazil
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder, winger
Youth career
1987–1998	Grêmio
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–2001	Grêmio	89	(47)
2001–2003	Paris Saint-Germain	55	(17)
2003–2008	Barcelona	145	(70)
2008–2011	AC Milan	76	(20)
2011–2012	Flamengo	56	(23)
2012–2014	Atlético Mineiro	58	(20)
2014–2015	Querétaro	25	(8)
2015	Fluminense	7	(0)
Total		511	(205)
International career
1997	Brazil U17	13	(3)
1998–1999	Brazil U20	17	(8)
1999–2000	Brazil U23	19	(15)
2008	Brazil Olympic (O.P.)	8	(3)
1999–2013	Brazil	97	(33)
Honours Men’s football Representing  Brazil FIFA World Cup Winner 2002 Korea/Japan FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 2005 Germany Runner-up 1999 Mexico Copa América Winner 1999 Paraguay Olympic Games 2008 Beijing Team CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament Winner Brazil 2000 South American U-20 Championship 1999 Argentina FIFA U-17 World Cup Winner 1997 Egypt South American U-17 Championship Winner 1997 Paraguay
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁonawˈdʒĩɲu ɡaˈuʃu]) or simply Ronaldinho,^{[note 1]} is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a winger. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldinho won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d’Or. A global icon of the sport, he was renowned for his technical skills, creativity, dribbling ability and accuracy from free-kicks, his use of tricks, feints, no-look passes and overhead kicks, as well as his ability to score and create goals, all prominent characteristics of his early-age background playing futsal.

Ronaldinho made his career debut for Grêmio, in 1998. At age 20, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain in France before signing for Barcelona in 2003. In his second season with Barcelona, he won his first FIFA World Player of the Year award as Barcelona won the 2004–05 La Liga title. The season that followed is considered one of the best in his career as he was integral in Barcelona winning the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, their first in fourteen years, and another La Liga title, giving Ronaldinho his first career double, receiving the 2005 Ballon d’Or and his second FIFA World Player of the Year in the process. After scoring two spectacular solo goals in the first 2005–06 El Clásico, Ronaldinho became the second Barcelona player, after Diego Maradona in 1983, to receive a standing ovation from Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Following a second-place La Liga finish to Real Madrid in the 2006–07 season and an injury-plagued 2007–08 season, Ronaldinho suffered a decline in his performances—often put down to a decrease in dedication and focus having achieved so much in the sport—and departed Barcelona to join AC Milan, where he won the 2010–11 Serie A. He returned to Brazil to play for Flamengo in 2011 and Atlético Mineiro a year later where he won the 2013 Copa Libertadores, before moving to Mexico to play for Querétaro and then back to Brazil to play for Fluminense in 2015. Ronaldinho accumulated numerous other individual awards in his career: he was included in the UEFA Team of the Year and the FIFA World XI three times each, and was named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year for the 2005–06 season and South American Footballer of the Year in 2013; in 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players.

In his international career with Brazil, Ronaldinho earned 97 caps and scored 33 goals and represented his country in two FIFA World Cups. After debuting with the Seleção by winning the 1999 Copa América, he was an integral part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning team, starring alongside Ronaldo and Rivaldo in an attacking trio, and was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. As captain, he led his team to the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup title and was named man of the match in the final. He also captained the Brazil Olympic team to a bronze medal in men’s football at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Early and personal life

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira was born on 21 March 1980 in the city of Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.^[1][4] His mother, Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos,^[5] was a salesperson who studied to become a nurse.^[6] His father, João de Assis Moreira, was a shipyard worker and a footballer for the local club Esporte Clube Cruzeiro (not to be confused with the larger Cruzeiro Esporte Clube).^[7] After Ronaldo’s older brother Roberto signed with Grêmio, the family moved to a home in the more affluent Guarujá section of Porto Alegre, which was a gift from Grêmio to convince Roberto to stay at the club. Still, Roberto’s career was ultimately cut short by injury. It was in their new home where his father hit his head and drowned in the swimming pool when Ronaldo was eight.^[8] Today, Roberto acts as his manager, while his sister Deisi works as his press coordinator.^[9][10]

Ronaldo’s football skills began to blossom at the age of eight, and he was first given the nickname Ronaldinho – «inho» meaning small – because he was often the youngest and the smallest player in youth club matches.^[9] He developed an interest in futsal and beach football, which later expanded to organized football.^[11] Many of his signature moves originate from futsal, especially his ball control.^[12] His first brush with the media came at the age of 13, when he scored all 23 goals in a 23–0 victory against a local team.^[13] Ronaldinho was identified as a rising star at the 1997 U-17 World Championship in Egypt, in which he scored two goals on penalty kicks.^[14][15]

Growing up, his idols included the World Cup winning stars; Rivelino (from 1970), Diego Maradona (from 1986), Romário (from 1994), and his two future international teammates Ronaldo and Rivaldo (which would form the attacking trio in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup winning team).^[16] Ronaldinho is the father of a son, João, born on February 25, 2005 to Brazilian dancer Janaína Mendes and named after his late father.^[17] He gained Spanish citizenship in 2007.^[18] In March 2018, Ronaldinho joined the Brazilian Republican Party, which has links to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.^[19] Ronaldinho endorsed presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro in the 2018 Brazilian presidential election.^[20]

Club career

Grêmio

Ronaldinho’s career began with the Grêmio youth squad. He made his senior side debut during the 1998 Copa Libertadores.^[22] 1999 saw the emergence of the 18-year-old Ronaldinho, with 22 goals in 47 matches, and he put in headlining displays in derbies against Internacional, most notably on 20 June 1999 in the Rio Grande do Sul State Championship final.^[23] In a match-winning performance, Ronaldinho embarrassed Internacional’s Brazilian legend and 1994 World Cup-winning captain Dunga, flicking the ball over his head on one occasion, and leaving him flat-footed in a mazy dribble on another.^[23] Ronaldinho achieved further success with Grêmio, winning the inaugural Copa Sul.^[23]

In 2001, Arsenal expressed interest in signing Ronaldinho, but the move collapsed after he could not obtain a work permit because he was a non-EU player who had not played enough international matches.^[24] He considered playing on loan with Scottish Premier League side St Mirren, which never happened due to his involvement in a fake passport scandal in Brazil.^[25]

Paris Saint-Germain

In 2001, Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract with French club Paris Saint-Germain in a €5 million transfer.^[27] Upon his arrival in Paris, Ronaldinho was given the number 21 shirt and inserted into a lineup that included fellow Brazilian Aloísio, midfielder Jay-Jay Okocha and striker Nicolas Anelka.^[28]

2001–02 season

Ronaldinho made his league debut for the club on 4 August 2001, appearing as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Auxerre.^[29] Ronaldinho spent the majority of the first few months of the 2001–02 season alternated between the bench and starter’s role. He scored his first goal for the club on 13 October in a 2–2 draw against Lyon, converting the equalizing penalty in the 79th minute after having come on ten minutes prior.^[30] After returning from the winter break, Ronaldinho went on a tear, scoring a goal in four consecutive matches to open the new campaign. He recorded impressive goals against Monaco, Rennes, Lens and Lorient. On 16 March 2002, he recorded a double in PSG’s 3–1 victory against relegation strugglers Troyes.^[31] He scored his final league goal of the season in the club’s 2–0 win over Metz on 27 April.^[32]

Ronaldinho was also influential in the 2001–02 Coupe de la Ligue, helping PSG reach the semi-finals where they were eliminated by Bordeaux. In a Round of 16 match against Guingamp, Ronaldinho scored two second half goals in the game after having entered the match as a half-time substitute. Despite Ronaldinho’s initial success with the club, the season was marred by controversy with Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Fernández, claiming that the Brazilian was too focused on the Parisian nightlife rather than football, and complained that his holidays in Brazil never ended at the scheduled times.^[22]

2002–03 season

Despite repeated rifts with Fernández, Ronaldinho returned to the team for the 2002–03 season, with the player switching to the number 10 shirt. Though his performances in his second season with the club were underwhelming compared to his first, Ronaldinho performed admirably with the club. On 26 October 2002, he scored two goals in PSG’s 3–1 victory over Classique rivals Marseille. The first goal was a free kick, which curled past numerous Marseille players in the 18-yard box before sailing past goalkeeper Vedran Runje. In the return match, he again scored in PSG’s 3–0 victory at the Stade Vélodrome, running half the length of the field before flicking the ball over the goalkeeper.^[33] On 22 February 2003, Ronaldinho scored the goal of the season (chosen by public vote) against Guingamp — he beat one opponent before playing a one-two to beat another, then lifted the ball over a third before beating a fourth with a step over (dropping his shoulder, moving right but going left) and finished by lifting the ball over the goalkeeper.^[26]

Ronaldinho was also praised for his performance in the Coupe de France when he scored both goals in the club’s 2–0 win over Bordeaux in the semi-finals, which inserted PSG into the final. After scoring his first goal in the 22nd minute, Ronaldinho capped the game in the 81st minute, accurately chipping the ball at the 18-yard box over the head of goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé, despite Ramé being in a favorable position. For his performance, Ronaldinho was given a standing ovation by the Parisian supporters. Unfortunately for the club, however, Ronaldinho and the team failed to capture the form that got them to the final as they bowed out 2–1 to Auxerre due to a last minute goal from Jean-Alain Boumsong. Despite Ronaldinho’s performances, the club finished in a disappointing 11th-placed position. Following the season, Ronaldinho declared he wanted to leave the club after the capital club failed to qualify for any European competition.^[34]

Barcelona

Newly elected FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta stated, «I said we would lead Barça to the forefront of the footballing world, and for that to occur we had to sign one of these three players, David Beckham, Thierry Henry or Ronaldinho».^[36] Henry remained with Arsenal, and Laporta then promised to bring Beckham to the club, but following his transfer to Real Madrid, Barcelona entered the running for Ronaldinho and outbid Manchester United for his signature in a €30 million deal.^[37][38]

2003–04 season

The club where he would spend his peak years and the basis of his global fame,^[39] Ronaldinho made his Barcelona debut in a friendly against Juventus at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on 27 July, with coach Frank Rijkaard stating post match, «He has something special every time he touches the ball.»^[40] He scored his first competitive goal in La Liga on 3 September 2003 against Sevilla at 1.30 a.m. local time, in a match that kicked off at five minutes past midnight.^[41] After receiving the ball from his goalkeeper inside his own half, Ronaldinho ran through the midfield and dribbled past two Sevilla players before striking the ball from 30 yards which hammered off the underside of the crossbar and back up into the roof of the net.^[41] Ronaldinho suffered from injury during the first half of the campaign,^[42] and Barcelona slumped to 12th in the league standings midway through the season. Ronaldinho returned from injury and scored 15 goals in La Liga during the 2003–04 season, helping the team ultimately finish second in the league.^[43][44] His scooped pass set up the winning goal for Xavi away to Real Madrid on 25 April 2004, the club’s first win at the Bernabéu in seven years, a result Xavi credits as the start of «the Barcelona rise.»^[45]

2004–05 season

Ronaldinho won his first league title in 2004–05, and was named FIFA World Player of the Year on 20 December 2004.^[46] His captain at Barcelona, Carles Puyol, stated, «The greatest compliment I could give him is that he’s given Barcelona our spirit back. He has made us smile again.»^[45] His fame was growing with his entertaining and productive play in both the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. On 8 March 2005, Barcelona were eliminated from the latter competition by Chelsea in the first knockout round, losing 5–4 over two legs.^[47] Ronaldinho scored both goals in the 4–2 second leg loss at Stamford Bridge in London, the second a spectacular strike where he feinted to shoot before striking the ball with little back-lift past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech from 20 yards out.^[47]

«It’s like someone pressed pause and for three seconds all the players stopped and I’m the only one that moves.»

— Ronaldinho reflects on his toe-poke goal against Chelsea.^[11]

On 1 May 2005, Ronaldinho made the assist for Lionel Messi’s first goal for Barcelona, executing a scooped pass over the Albacete defence for Messi to finish.^[48] With his contract expiring in 2008, Ronaldinho was offered an extension until 2014 that would have net him £85 million over nine years,^[49] but he turned it down. In September 2005, he signed a two-year extension that contained a minimum-fee release clause that allowed him to leave should a club make an offer to Barcelona of at least £85 million for him.^[50]

2005–06 season

By the end of the year 2005, Ronaldinho had started to accumulate a host of personal awards. He won the inaugural FIFPro World Player of the Year in September 2005, in addition to being included in the 2005 FIFPro World XI, and being named the 2005 European Footballer of the Year. Also that year, Ronaldinho was voted the FIFA World Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.^[46] He became only the third player to win the award more than once, after three-time winners Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane.^[46] His domination as the world’s best footballer was undisputed as he also won the prestigious Ballon d’Or for the only time in his career.^[51]

On 19 November, Ronaldinho scored twice as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3–0 on the road in the first leg of El Clásico. After he sealed the match with his second goal, Madrid fans paid homage to his performance by applauding, so rare a tribute only Diego Maradona had ever been granted previously as a Barcelona player at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.^[52] Ronaldinho stated, «I will never forget this because it is very rare for any footballer to be applauded in this way by the opposition fans.»^[52]

The season is considered one of the best in Ronaldinho’s career as he was an instrumental part of Barcelona’s first Champions League title in 14 years. After winning their group convincingly, Barcelona faced Chelsea in the round of 16 for a rematch of the previous year.^[54] Ronaldinho scored a decisive goal in the second leg, going past three Chelsea defenders on the edge of the penalty area before beating the goalkeeper, sealing Barcelona’s qualification to the next round.^[54] He also contributed one goal in Barcelona’s elimination of Benfica in the quarter-finals with a 2–0 home victory. After a 1–0 semi-final aggregate win over Milan, in which Ronaldinho assisted the series’ only goal by Ludovic Giuly, Barcelona progressed to the Champions League Final, which they won on 17 May 2006 with a 2–1 beating of Arsenal.^[55] Two weeks earlier, Barcelona had clinched their second-straight La Liga title with a 1–0 win over Celta de Vigo, giving Ronaldinho his first career double.^[56]

Throughout the season, Ronaldinho linked up with prolific Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o in attack, providing a number of assists to the 34 goal striker; Ronaldinho’s pass also put Eto’o through on goal in the Champions League Final from which he was brought down by Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann who was sent off.^[57] Ronaldinho finished the season with a career-best 26 goals, including seventeen in La Liga and seven in the Champions League, and was chosen for the UEFA Team of the Year for the third consecutive time and was named the 2005–06 UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.^[43] He was named in the six man shortlist for the 2006 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, and was selected in the FIFA World XI.^[58]

2006–07 season

On 25 November 2006, Ronaldinho scored his 50th career league goal against Villarreal, then scored a second time with a spectacular overhead bicycle kick; receiving Xavi’s cross, he flicked the ball up with his chest and spun 180 degrees to finish – Barcelona fans waved white handkerchiefs in admiration of the goal.^[60] Post match he told reporters that the latter was a goal he had dreamed of scoring since he was a boy.^[61] He scored once and set up two others in Barcelona’s 4–0 Club World Cup win over Mexico’s Club América on 14 December in Yokohama, Japan,^[62] but Barcelona were defeated 1–0 by Brazilian club Internacional in the final. Ronaldinho was the recipient of the Bronze Ball Award for the competition.^[63]

The next day, Ronaldinho finished third in the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, behind 2006 World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and Zinedine Zidane.^[64] In March 2007, defending champions Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League at the last 16 stage by Liverpool.^[65] Ronaldinho was forced to miss a charity match on 13 March due to an injury he had picked up several days earlier in Barcelona’s 3–3 El Clásico draw with Real Madrid.^[66] Although Ronaldinho scored his career-best 21 league goals, the team lost the title to Real with a worse head-to-head record, as both teams finished the season with the same number of points.^[43][67]

2007–08 season

Ronaldinho played his 200th career match for Barcelona in a league match against Osasuna on 3 February 2008. His 2007–08 campaign as a whole, however, was plagued by injuries, and a muscle tear in his right leg on 3 April prematurely ended his season.^[69] Having been a model professional and devoted himself to training during his hugely successful first three seasons at Barcelona, Ronaldinho’s partying lifestyle and lack of dedication to training saw his physical condition decline, with many at the club believing he was already below his prime.^[70][71] On 19 May 2008, Barcelona club president Joan Laporta stated that Ronaldinho needed a «new challenge», claiming that he needed a new club if he were to revive his career.^[72]

Ronaldinho joined Barca as a toothy-grinned wizard who had the club under his spell for three glorious seasons. He will leave a rather forlorn figure. Whether his magic has been exhausted or he just needs a new challenge remains to be seen.

— Simon Baskett, Reuters, July 2008.^[68]

Ronaldinho and Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi each captained a team of international stars in an anti-racism exhibition match in Venezuela on 28 June, which ended in a 7–7 draw. Ronaldinho finished with a pair of goals and two assists in what would be his last match as a Barcelona player.^[73] In preparation for the 2010 Joan Gamper Trophy, Ronaldinho sent an open letter to the fans and players of Barcelona, stating that his best years had been the five he spent in the Catalan club.^[74] It was a sad moment for him and he later said in an interview that he regretted leaving without playing long enough with Messi.^[75]

AC Milan

In July 2008, Ronaldinho turned down a £25.5 million offer from Manchester City of the Premier League, with purported wages of £200,000 per week on offer,^[76] to join Italian Serie A giants AC Milan on a three-year contract thought to be worth around £5.1 million (€6.5 million) a year, for €22.05 million plus €1.05 million bonus each season (€24.15 million in 2010).^{[77][78][79][80]} With the number 10 already occupied by teammate Clarence Seedorf, he selected 80 as his jersey number.^[81]

2008–09 season

Ronaldinho scored his first goal for Milan in a 1–0 derby victory over Inter Milan on 28 September. His first brace was in a 3–0 win over Sampdoria on 19 October. He scored a 93rd-minute match-winner against Braga in the UEFA Cup group stage on 6 November.^[70] Ronaldinho finished the 2008–09 season at Milan with 10 goals from 32 appearances in all competitions. After a good start to the season, Ronaldinho struggled with fitness, and was often played from the bench to end a disappointing first season for Milan.^[70] A perceived lack of dedication in training and a lifestyle of late night partying not befitting of an athlete saw him receive criticism, with Carlo Ancelotti, his coach at Milan in his first season in Italy, commenting, «The decline of Ronaldinho hasn’t surprised me. His physical condition has always been very precarious. His talent though has never been in question.»^[70]

2009–10 season

Ronaldinho’s second season did not begin on a high note, but he soon rediscovered his form and was arguably Milan’s best player of the season. Newly appointed coach Leonardo changed his role from a central attacking midfielder to the left side of midfield, with Alexandre Pato on the right, in an offensive 4–3–3 formation.^[82]

On 10 January 2010, Ronaldinho scored two goals against Juventus in an away match, sealing a 3–0 victory for Milan. In the following match, against Siena on 17 January, Ronaldinho scored his first hat-trick for Milan when he converted a penalty kick, scored with a header from a corner and finished with a strike into the top right corner from 20 yards out.^[83] The Estado De São Paulo newspaper declared, «Ronaldinho revives his golden years.»^[82] On 16 February, Ronaldinho played against Manchester United in the Champions League. He scored early in the game at the San Siro to give Milan the lead. Milan ended up losing the game 3–2, with a goal from Paul Scholes and two goals from Wayne Rooney.^[84]

Ronaldinho finished the season as the assists leader of Serie A. On a less positive note, however, he missed three penalties in the domestic season to add to one botched kick the previous season. Ronaldinho ended the Serie A campaign scoring two goals against Juventus; Luca Antonini opened the scoring and Milan went on to win 3–0 in Leonardo’s last game in charge.^[85]

2010–11 season

During the first half of the season, Ronaldinho was part of the team’s attack that also included two new signings, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Robinho. Before the winter break, he made 16 appearances, scored one goal, and made several assists. Despite leaving the club at half-season, he was still eligible for a 2010–11 Serie A winner’s medal as Milan won the competition.^[86]

Flamengo

After being heavily linked with a move back to his childhood club Grêmio, Ronaldinho joined Flamengo on 11 January 2011 with a contract ending in 2014.^[87] During the transfer saga, many reports had linked the former World Player of the Year to joining different clubs, such as LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer, Blackburn Rovers of the Premier League, and Brazilian clubs Corinthians and Palmeiras. He was greeted by more than 20,000 fans at his unveiling at his new club on 13 January 2011.^[88]

Ronaldinho scored his first goal for Flamengo in the 3–2 victory against Boavista on 6 February 2011.^[89] On 27 February, he converted a second-half free kick for Flamengo to beat Boavista 1–0 and win his first piece of silverware with the team, the Taça Guanabara. Ronaldinho lifted his first trophy with Flamengo after curling in a right-footed shot over the wall in the 71st minute at Engenhão stadium. The goal gave Flamengo its 19th Taça Guanabara title, which earned the Campeonato Carioca title two months later, as the team also won the Taça Rio. On 27 July 2011, Ronaldinho scored a hat-trick in Flamengo’s 5–4 away win against rivals Santos, after being 3–0 down inside the first 30 minutes.^[90] On 31 May 2012, after being absent for a few days, he sued Flamengo claiming lack of payment for four months and cancelled his contract with the club.^[91]

Atlético Mineiro

Ronaldinho made a move to Atlético Mineiro on 4 June 2012 in a six-month contract, just four days after leaving Flamengo. He wore number 49 in reference to his mother’s birth year since his preferred number 10 was already assigned to Guilherme in the 2012 season.^[92]

Ronaldinho made his debut for Galo on 9 June 2012, playing for 90 minutes in a 1–0 away win against Palmeiras,^[93] and scored his first goal for the club on 23 June 2012 against Náutico, from the penalty spot.^[94] Ronaldinho led Atlético Mineiro to a good 2012 season, in which the club finished second in the 2012 Brasileirão and qualified for the 2013 Copa Libertadores. Ronaldinho won the Bola de Ouro award, selected as the best player in the league.^[95]

The following year, Ronaldinho helped Atlético win the Campeonato Mineiro and led the club to its first Copa Libertadores title. Ronaldinho scored four goals and assisted on eight occasions during Atlético’s dramatic title run,^[96] which included consecutive comebacks from 0–2 first leg defeats in both the semi-finals against Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys and the finals against Club Olimpia from Paraguay. Both ties were determined in Atlético’s favour after penalty shootouts. Although six years past his best, Ronaldinho’s displays saw him voted the 2013 South American Footballer of the Year.^[97]

At the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup held in Morocco in December, Atlético lost 3–1 to Raja Casablanca in the semi-final, with Ronaldinho scoring from a free-kick. As the final whistle blew, the Raja Casablanca team rushed to their childhood idol and stripped him down to his underpants in search of souvenirs.^[8] He renewed his contract with Atlético in January 2014.^[98] After winning the 2014 Recopa Sudamericana, Ronaldinho left the club in July, reaching an agreement to cancel his contract by mutual consent.^[99]

Querétaro

After becoming a free agent, Ronaldinho was offered contracts from English Conference South club Basingstoke Town and newly formed Indian Super League franchise Chennai Titans through their co-owner Prashant Agarwal,^{[100][101][102]} but eventually signed a two-year contract with Mexican club Querétaro on 5 September 2014.^[103][104] Ronaldinho made his debut for Querétaro in a 1–0 loss to Tigres UANL where he missed a penalty kick.^[105] In his next match, however, against Guadalajara, he had a much better game, setting up Camilo Sanvezzo to score as well as scoring himself from a penalty kick in a 4–1 win.^[106] On 30 October 2014, he scored a free kick against Atlas during an away match at the Estadio Jalisco.^[107]

On 18 April 2015, Ronaldinho scored twice against Liga MX title-holders América in an away game at the Estadio Azteca, in which his team won 4–0.^[108] All of the spectators, mostly consisting of América supporters, gave a standing ovation to Ronaldinho after his goals had brought him to tears. This was the second time in Ronaldinho’s career he had received such an ovation from opposing fans (after Madrid fans had applauded his performance in a Barcelona shirt in 2005), and after the match, Ronaldinho stated in an interview, «It is an emotion to live more. I had an ovation at the Bernabéu and now here. I never imagined this. It is something that makes me like Mexico even more and I feel right at home.»^[109][110]

Ronaldinho scored two penalties in consecutive matches, the second giving Querétaro the classification to the Liga MX playoffs.^[111] On 17 May 2015, Querétaro progressed to the semi-finals after defeating Veracruz 4–3 aggregate. In the second match, Ronaldinho scored a free kick with the help of the opponent’s goalkeeper who made contact with the ball.^[112] Querétaro eventually advanced to the final after beating Pachuca on aggregate 2–2. In the final against Santos Laguna, Querétaro lost the first leg 0–5 and then won the 2nd leg 3–0 but lost 3–5 on aggregate. In June 2015, Ronaldinho, now 35, announced his departure from the club and thanked the Mexican people and fans of Querétaro: «I want to thank all the Mexican nation for all the days that I have lived with people so special, you will be forever in my heart. Thank you very much the Nation Gallos Blancos, which made me very proud to wear this shirt and defend this club.»^[113]

Fluminense

On 11 July 2015, Ronaldinho announced his return to Brazil and signed an 18-month contract with Fluminense,^[114] but on 28 September, Ronaldinho reached a mutual agreement with the club to terminate the deal.^[115] He made nine appearances during his two-month stint at the club, failing to impress and being heavily criticized by the fans.^[116] Fluminense sporting director Mario Bittencourt stated, «Ronaldinho asked us for a meeting. He respectfully told us he didn’t feel he was able to perform as good as he wanted and that it was a bad situation for him. He made a great gesture in saying he wasn’t being the player he felt he could be right now. I’ll never speak about whether or not he is retiring. That’s not something you say about a player of his calibre. He was always spectacular, as player and person.»^[116]

Futsal in India

In July 2016, Ronaldinho played for the Goa 5′s, a futsal team from Goa in India, together with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Míchel Salgado, and Hernán Crespo as well as futsal player Falcão in the Premier Futsal League.^[117] After two games, he left India to be an ambassador of the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.^[118] He was replaced by Cafu.^[119]

From September to early October 2017, Ronaldinho joined the Delhi Dragons from Delhi in the Premier Futsal League. He scored 16 goals in eight games.^[120]

Retirement

On 16 January 2018, Ronaldinho confirmed his retirement from football through his brother/agent: «He has stopped, it is ended. Let’s do something pretty big and nice after the Russia World Cup, probably in August.»^[121] Such a celebration was supposed to take place three years after his last appearance for Fluminense, but has not materialized.^[121] He retired as one of just eight players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d’Or.^[122]

Ronaldinho appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 15 July, performing a few bars of the Russian folk song «Kalinka» (sung by opera singer Aida Garifullina) on an African drum.^[123]

International career

Youth teams

In 1997, Ronaldinho was part of the first Brazilian team to win the FIFA U-17 World Championship, which was held in Egypt, in which his first goal was a penalty against Austria in the first group match, which Brazil won 7–0.^[124] Ronaldinho finished with two goals and was awarded the Bronze Ball award as Brazil scored a total of 21 goals while only conceding 2.^[124]

1999 was a busy year for Ronaldinho in terms of international play. First he appeared in the South American Youth Championship, where he scored three goals in nine appearances and helped the U20s to reach third place.^[125] Then he took part in that year’s FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria, scoring his first goal in Brazil’s last group match.^[126] In the round of 16, he scored two first-half goals in a 4–0 win over Croatia, and finished with three goals as Brazil were eliminated by Uruguay in the quarter-finals.^[126]

Early success

On 26 June, three days before the start of the 1999 Copa América, he earned his first cap for Brazil in a 3–0 win over Latvia, and he scored one goal during Brazil’s victorious Copa América campaign. One week after the conclusion of the Copa América, he was called up for the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which he scored in every match except the final, including a hat-trick in an 8–2 semi-final rout of Saudi Arabia.^[127] In the final, Brazil lost 4–3 to Mexico. Ronaldinho won the Golden Ball award for the best player in tournament as well as the Golden Boot award for the tournament top-scorer.^[127]

In 2000, Ronaldinho participated in the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, with the U23 national team. Earlier that year, Ronaldinho led Brazil to win the Pre-Olympic Tournament, scoring nine goals in seven matches. In the Olympics, however, Brazil were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Cameroon, who later won the gold medal.^[128] Ronaldinho appeared four times and scored only one goal, which came in the quarter-final defeat by Cameroon.^[128]

2002 World Cup glory

Ronaldinho participated in his first World Cup in 2002, as part of a formidable offensive unit with Ronaldo and Rivaldo, dubbed the «Three Rs», who were also on the 1999 Copa América winning squad.^[130] The World Cup was held in South Korea and Japan, and Ronaldinho appeared in five matches during the tournament and scored two goals, as well as contributing with three assists.^[131] His first goal came in the group stage match against China PR, which Brazil won 4–0.^[132]

The most memorable match in Ronaldinho’s World Cup career took place in the quarter-final against England on 21 June.^[133] With Brazil trailing after Michael Owen’s 23-minute strike, Ronaldinho turned the game around. Having received the ball inside his own half, Ronaldinho ran at the England defence and wrong footed star defender Ashley Cole with a trademark step over before passing the ball to Rivaldo on the edge of the penalty area to score the equalising goal just before half-time.^[134] Then, in the 50th minute, Ronaldinho took a free-kick from 40 yards out which curled into the top left corner of the net, completely surprising England’s goalkeeper David Seaman, giving Brazil a 2–1 lead.^[133][135] Seven minutes later, however, he was controversially sent-off for a foul on England’s defender Danny Mills. Ronaldinho was suspended for the semi-final, but returned to Brazil’s starting lineup for the 2–0 victory over Germany in the final as Brazil won its record fifth World Cup title.^[136]

2005 Confederations Cup title

Ronaldinho’s next international tournament was the 2003 Confederations Cup, in which he went scoreless as Brazil were eliminated in the group stage. The following year, he was dropped from Brazil’s 2004 Copa América squad, as coach Carlos Alberto Parreira decided to rest his stars and used a largely reserve squad.^[137]

After falling short in 1999 and 2003, Ronaldinho was the captain of Brazil and led his team to its second ever Confederations Cup title in 2005. He converted a penalty kick in a 3–2 semi-final win against host Germany and was named Man of the Match in a 4–1 victory over archrival Argentina in the final on 29 June.^[138] Ronaldinho scored three goals in the tournament and is tied with Mexican forward Cuauhtémoc Blanco as the tournament’s all-time scorer with nine goals.^[139]

2006 World Cup

For the 2006 World Cup finals, Ronaldinho was part of Brazil’s much-publicized «magic quartet» of offensive players alongside Adriano, Ronaldo and Kaká, which was expected to provide the «Joga Bonito» style of play that was the focus of an extensive advertising campaign by Nike leading up to the tournament.^[140] However, deemed «top heavy and unbalanced», the team finished with ten goals in five games, with Ronaldinho himself going scoreless and finishing with only one assist (for Gilberto’s goal in a 4–1 group stage victory over Japan), as he turned in his worst collective performance in his international career.^[140] Brazil endured a disappointing campaign that culminated in a 1–0 loss to France in the quarter-finals, during which the Seleção had only one shot on goal.^[141]

The team was harshly criticized by Brazilian fans and media following their return home. On 3 July, two days after Brazil’s elimination, vandals immolated and destroyed a 23-foot (7.5-metre) tall fiberglass and resin statue of Ronaldinho in Chapecó.^[143] The statue had been erected in 2004 to celebrate his first FIFA World Player of the Year award. That same day, Ronaldinho, joined by Adriano, returned to the city of Barcelona and held a party at his home, which was continued into the early morning hours at a nightclub. This aggravated the hard feelings of many Brazilian fans, who believed that they were betrayed by the lack of effort from the squad.^[144] Displaying a passivity to Brazil’s poor showing, the 2006 World Cup is now seen as the turning point in Ronaldinho’s career, with his time at the summit of the game almost up.^[8] 1970 Brazil World Cup winner Tostão wrote in O Tempo: «Ronaldinho lacks an important characteristic of Maradona and Pelé — aggression. They transformed themselves in adversity. They became possessed, and furious.»^[8]

2008 Olympic medal

On 24 March 2007, Ronaldinho scored twice in a 4–0 win over Chile, which marked his first goal since the 2005 Confederations Cup final and thus ended a scoreless streak that lasted nearly two years.^[145] He was not called up for the 2007 Copa América after asking to be excused from the tournament due to fatigue.^[146] On 18 October, he was controversially benched by Barcelona after he was late returning to Spain following Brazil’s 5–0 friendly win over Ecuador. He and several Brazil players celebrated the win by partying through the night at a posh Rio de Janeiro nightclub. Ronaldinho left at 11 am the next morning, allegedly in the trunk of a car in order to avoid the media.^[147]

On 7 July 2008, Ronaldinho was named in Brazil’s 2008 Summer Olympics squad as one of the overage players.^[148] Barcelona initially blocked the move because of his then-upcoming Champions League commitments with the club, but the decision was later nullified following Ronaldinho’s transfer to Milan, who in turn permitted him to make the trip to Beijing, China.^[149] Ronaldinho captained the team, and he scored his only two goals in a 5–0 victory over New Zealand before Brazil were beaten by Argentina in the semi-final. Brazil finished with the bronze medal after defeating Belgium 3–0 in the third-place match.^[150]

2010 and 2014 World Cup absence

Despite having returned to good form and being named as a member of the 30-man provisional squad that was submitted to FIFA on 11 May 2010,^[151] he was not named in coach Dunga’s final squad of 23 for the Brazilian squad in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup^[152] despite his deep desire to participate in the competition.^[153] Critics claimed that the exclusion of players such as Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato, Adriano and Ronaldo signaled a move away from the classic Brazilian attacking «Joga Bonito» style of play.^[152] At the tournament, Brazil was eliminated by the Netherlands in the quarter-final.^[154]

In September 2011, Ronaldinho made his return to the national team under coach Mano Menezes in a friendly against Ghana at Fulham’s Craven Cottage,^[155] playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 win for Brazil. He then had solid performances in back to back friendlies against Argentina in the same month. In October, he performed well against Mexico in a friendly, scoring a free kick to equalize after Dani Alves was sent off. Brazil went on to win the match with a goal from Marcelo.^[156]

Ronaldinho’s good form continued in 2013, and in January he was unexpectedly called up by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari^[157] for a friendly against England played on 6 February at Wembley Stadium as part of The Football Association (FA)’s 150th anniversary.^[158] Ronaldinho started in what was his 100th cap (including non-official matches), and had a chance to score from the penalty kick, but his shot was saved by Joe Hart. Brazil lost the match 1–2.^[159] He was again called up for the Seleção, being named captain of the national team for an international friendly with Chile on 24 April 2013.^[160] However, Ronaldinho was not selected for the national team for the 2013 Confederations Cup and he was also omitted from Scolari’s 2014 World Cup finals squad.^[161]

Player profile

Style of play

Ronaldinho is regarded as one of the greatest and most skilful players of all time.^{[162][163][164][165][166]} Due to his ability to score and create goals, he was capable of playing in several offensive positions, on either wing or in a free central role.^[167][168] Throughout his career, he was often deployed as a winger, although he usually played as a classic number 10 in an attacking midfielder role.^[168][169] While he is naturally right–footed, during his time at Barcelona, Ronaldinho was also used as an inverted winger on the left flank at times by manager Frank Rijkaard, while the left–footed Messi was deployed on the right; this position allowed him to take on defenders on the outside and cross the ball, or cut inside and shoot on goal with his stronger foot.^{[170][171][172]} He was also capable of playing as a second striker.^[173]

Despite primarily being a creative player, who was renowned for his passing, vision, and playmaking ability, Ronaldinho was an accurate finisher with either foot, both from inside and outside the penalty area, as well as being a free-kick and penalty kick specialist.^{[168][174][175]} Although he was primarily known for his ability to bend the ball from set pieces,^[176] he was also capable of striking the ball with power underneath the wall, and also occasionally used the knuckleball technique, which was popularised by his compatriot Juninho Pernambucano.^{[177][178][179]} His versatility and prowess from set pieces made him one of the most prolific free kick takers in history,^[180] and also influenced his former teammate Messi, who went on to become a free kick specialist himself.^[181]

Throughout his career, Ronaldinho was praised by pundits in particular for his technical skills, flair, and creativity, as well as his exceptional first touch.^[8][171] With his pace, acceleration, athleticism, balance, ball control, and dribbling ability, he was capable of beating players when undertaking individual runs, often using an array of tricks and feints to get past opponents in one on one situations, including step overs and nutmegs.^{[8][11][168][176]} Physically strong in possession of the ball, Richard Williams writes «slender in build, the Brazilian has a strength belying the cartoonish smile».^[171] He also incorporated flashy moves such as back–heels, bicycle kicks, and no–look passes into his general gameplay.^{[182][183][184][185]} Among his repertoire of moves, is the «elastico», a move he learned by watching videos of one of his idols, the 1970s Brazilian star Rivelino.^[186][187] Ronaldinho came to be known as one of the best exponents of the feint, and in parts of Africa – especially Nigeria – this move is now called ‘The Gaúcho’ after him, due to his role in popularising the use of this particular skill.^{[11][186][187]}

Reception

ESPN described Ronaldinho as being «skillful by nature, his tricks are unparalleled and he is wonderful with the ball at his feet. One of the coolest players in pressure situations» and a «fast, brash, skilful, tricky, an uninhibited playmaker» who provides «a mix of goals, assists, skills and a large repertoire of crafty moves».^[188] Zlatan Ibrahimović stated, «Prime Ronaldinho was phenomenal. He made his opponents look like children».^[189] Former Portugal midfield playmaker Rui Costa has said of his vision and passing ability: «There are not many players who can offer goal-scoring passes like he can. He is just marvellous. He is a rare case of an assist man who can provide the ball from anywhere.»^[188] In 2010, his former Barcelona teammate, Edgar Davids, said of him: «For the skills and tricks, Ronaldinho was the best player that I ever played with.»^[190] Another one of his former Barcelona teammate, Henrik Larsson, echoed this view.^[190] His compatriot Willian rated him as the greatest player of all time in 2019,^[191] while Juninho described him as the most skilful player he had ever seen. In 2019, FourFourTwo described him as «possibly the best technician in the history of football in Brazil,» placing him at number five in their list of «The 101 greatest football players of the last 25 years.»^[192] In 2006, Richard Williams of The Guardian described Ronaldinho as a «genius,» while his former Barcelona teammate Sylvinho said of him: «He’s so smart, so intelligent, that sometimes it’s difficult to read his mind,» also adding: «He’s amazing. He’s 100% talent. And he’s a powerful player as well, so it’s difficult to stop him.»^[171]

The Brazilian legend Tostão claimed: «Ronaldinho has the dribbling skills of Rivelino, the vision of Gérson, the spirit and happiness of Garrincha, the pace, skill and power of Jairzinho and Ronaldo, the technical ability of Zico and the creativity of Romário.» Above all he had one, very special ability: he made you smile.

— Sid Lowe after Ronaldinho’s retirement in January 2018.^[162]

In spite of his performances at his peak, a period of dedication and focus which saw him named the FIFA World Player of the Year twice and receive the Ballon d’Or, Ronaldinho was also criticised on occasion in the media for his lack of discipline in training, as well as his hedonistic lifestyle off the pitch, which some pundits believed had an impact on the overall longevity of his career.^[193] Referring to Ronaldinho as «Brazil’s childlike genius who never grew up», Tim Vickery writes that it was the sudden death of his father at such a young age that may have seen Ronaldinho stop making the sacrifices needed to remain at the summit of the sport, with the attitude of «life is short and can end unexpectedly–so enjoy it while you can.»^[8]

Outside football

Ronaldinho has had endorsements with many companies, including Nike, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, EA Sports and Danone.^[53][194] One of the world’s highest paid players, in 2006 he earned over $19 million from endorsements.^[195] Having endorsed Pepsi for much of his career and appeared in commercials with David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho signed a deal with Coca-Cola in 2011, however this was terminated in July 2012 after he was caught drinking Pepsi in a news conference.^[196]

Ronaldinho has featured in EA Sports’ FIFA video game series, appearing on the cover of FIFA Football 2004, FIFA Street, FIFA 06, FIFA 07, FIFA Street 3, FIFA 08 and FIFA 09.^[194] At the beginning of his career Ronaldinho signed a lucrative 10-year deal with sportswear company Nike (wearing Nike Tiempo R10 boots designed for him).^[53] He has appeared in Nike commercials, including the 2002 «Secret Tournament» commercial (branded «Scorpion KO») directed by Terry Gilliam.^[197] His 2005 Nike advertisement, where he is given a new pair of boots and then proceeds to juggle a football and appears to repeatedly volley it against the crossbar of a goal and recover it without the ball touching the ground, went viral on YouTube, becoming the site’s first video to reach one million views.^[198][199] A 2010 Nike commercial, Write the Future directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, features Ronaldinho executing a number of stepovers, which became a viral video re-enacted and shared millions of times.^[200]

A wax sculpture of Ronaldinho was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong in December 2007.^[201] Ronaldinho has had an official role with UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, since February 2006.^[202] In 2011, he was recruited by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS to promote awareness among young people of the disease and how to avoid it.^[203] In March 2015, Ronaldinho was the sixth most popular sportsperson on Facebook, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Beckham, Neymar and Kaká, with 31 million Facebook fans.^[204] Ronaldinho also has over 50 million Instagram followers.^[205]

On 2 February 2017, Barcelona announced that Ronaldinho signed a 10-year deal to become an ambassador for the club at institutional events.^[206] On 6 July 2018, Ronaldinho announced a partnership with company World Soccer Coin (WSC) to develop a new cryptocurrency, the Ronaldinho Soccer Coin, with WSC claiming that the profits of the coin will be used to football projects such as «Ronaldinho Digital Stadiums.»^[207][208]

On 25 October 2020, Ronaldinho announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 and was asymptomatic and self-isolating in Belo Horizonte.^[209] A few days later, on 29 October 2020, Ronaldinho released a statement regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Azerbaijan. He expressed solidarity with Azerbaijani people.^[210] In late July 2021, he went to Beirut, Lebanon, to lay a wreath in honor of victims of the port explosion.^[211]

In fiction, Ronaldinho features as a character in Rupert Thomson’s 2021 novel Barcelona Dreaming.^[212]

Legal troubles

In July 2019, 57 properties belonging to Ronaldinho along with his Brazilian and Spanish passports were confiscated because of unpaid taxes and fines.^[213] The judge ultimately decided to reduce the fine from R$8.5 million to R$6 million for building a fishing platform on Guaíba River in a ‘heritage-protected’ area.^[214] Ronaldinho and his brother would ultimately fail to pay the fines within the allotted time and have their passports suspended.^[215]

In March 2020, he was questioned by police in Paraguay after he was alleged to have used a fake passport to enter the country while coming for a charity event and book promotion,^[216] with Ronaldinho and his brother both being held in custody in the country.^[217][218] While in prison, he competed in a prison futsal tournament, where his team was victorious. They won 11–2 in the finals, with Ronaldinho scoring 5 goals and assisting the other 6.^[219] He attempted to appeal the detention order but was ordered to remain under house arrest with his brother.^[218] On 24 August 2020, Ronaldinho and his brother were released from Paraguayan prison after their judge agreed to a plea deal with fines of US$90,000 and US$110,000 for the brothers, respectively.^{[220][221][222]}

Career statistics

Ronaldinho made 853 appearances and scored 328 goals for club and country combined, with a goalscoring average of 0.38.^[223]

Club

International

Appearances and goals by national team, year and competition

Team	Year	Competitive	Friendly	Total
Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Brazil U17[228][229]	1997	13[a]	3	–	13	3
Brazil U20[230][231][232]	1998	–	3	2	3	2
1999	14[b]	6	–	14	6
Total	14	6	3	2	17	8
Brazil U23[233][234][235]	1999	–	4	1	4	1
2000	11[c]	10	4	4	15	14
2008	6[d]	2	2	1	8	3
Total	17	12	10	6	27	18
Brazil[236]	1999	9[e]	7	4	0	13	7
2000	4[f]	0	1	1	5	1
2001	2[g]	0	2	1	4	1
2002	5[h]	2	5	2	10	4
2003	4[i]	1	4	1	8	2
2004	5[j]	1	5	5	10	6
2005	10[k]	5	2	1	12	6
2006	5[l]	0	4	0	9	0
2007	4[m]	1	7	4	11	5
2008	2[n]	0	–	2	0
2009	2[o]	0	1	0	3	0
2010	–	1	0	1	0
2011	–	5	1	5	1
2012	–	1	0	1	0
2013	–	3	0	3	0
Total	52	17	45	16	97	33
Career total	96	38	58	24	154	62

Notes

Scores and results list Brazil’s goal tally first.

International goals by number, cap, date, venue, opponent, score, result and competition

No.	Cap	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	2	30 June 1999	Estádio 3 de Febrero, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay	Venezuela	5–0	5–0	1999 Copa América	[237]
2	6	24 July 1999	Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico	Germany	2–0	4–0	1999 FIFA Confederations Cup	[237]
3	7	28 July 1999	Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico	United States	1–0	1–0	1999 FIFA Confederations Cup	[237]
4	8	30 July 1999	Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico	New Zealand	2–0	2–0	1999 FIFA Confederations Cup	[237]
5	9	1 August 1999	Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico	Saudi Arabia	2–0	8–2	1999 FIFA Confederations Cup	[237]
6	6–2
7	8–2
8	14	23 February 2000	Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Thailand	3–0	7–0	Friendly	[238]
9	19	3 March 2001	Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, United States	United States	1–0	2–1	Friendly	[238]
10	24	17 April 2002	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	Portugal	1–1	1–1	Friendly	[239]
11	27	8 June 2002	Jeju World Cup Stadium, Seogwipo, South Korea	China	3–0	4–0	2002 FIFA World Cup	[239]
12	29	21 June 2002	Shizuoka Stadium, Shizuoka, Japan	England	2–1	2–1	2002 FIFA World Cup	[239]
13	32	20 November 2002	Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea	South Korea	3–2	3–2	Friendly	[239]
14	34	29 March 2003	Estádio das Antas, Porto, Portugal	Portugal	1–1	1–2	Friendly	[239]
15	40	10 September 2003	Vivaldão, Manaus, Brazil	Ecuador	1-0	1–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification	[239]
16	43	28 April 2004	Ferenc Puskás Stadium, Budapest, Hungary	Hungary	4–1	4–1	Friendly	[240]
17	45	18 August 2004	Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti	Haiti	2–0	6–0	Friendly	[240]
18	4–0
19	5–0
20	46	5 September 2004	Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil	Bolivia	2–0	3–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification	[240]
21	47	8 September 2004	Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany	Germany	1–1	1–1	Friendly	[240]
22	51	9 February 2005	Hong Kong Stadium, So Kon Po, Hong Kong	Hong Kong	4–0	7–1	Friendly	[240]
23	54	5 June 2005	Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, Brazil	Paraguay	1–0	4–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification	[240]
24	2–0
25	58	22 June 2005	RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany	Japan	2–1	2–2	2005 FIFA Confederations Cup	[240]
26	59	25 June 2005	Frankenstadion, Nuremberg, Germany	Germany	2–1	3–2	2005 FIFA Confederations Cup	[240]
27	60	29 June 2005	Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany	Argentina	3–0	4–1	2005 FIFA Confederations Cup	[240]
28	72	24 March 2007	Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden	Chile	1–0	4–0	Friendly	[241]
29	3–0
30	76	22 August 2007	Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France	Algeria	2–0	2–0	Friendly	[241]
31	77	9 September 2007	Soldier Field, Chicago, United States	United States	3–2	4–2	Friendly	[241]
32	80	17 October 2007	Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Ecuador	2–0	5–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification	[241]
33	93	11 October 2011	Estadio Corona, Torreón, Mexico	Mexico	1–1	2–1	Friendly	[242]

Honours

Grêmio^{[243][225][244]}

• Copa Sul: 1999
• Campeonato Gaúcho: 1999

Barcelona^[243][244]

• La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06^[245]
• Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006^[246]
• UEFA Champions League: 2005–06^[247]

AC Milan^{[243][248][244]}

• Serie A: 2010–11

Flamengo^{[243][249][244]}

• Campeonato Carioca: 2011

Atlético Mineiro^[249][244]

• Campeonato Mineiro: 2013
• Copa Libertadores: 2013
• Recopa Sudamericana: 2014

Brazil U17^[244]

• South American U-17 Championship: 1997
• FIFA U-17 World Championship: 1997

Brazil U23^[244][150]

• CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament: 2000
• Olympic Bronze Medal: 2008

Brazil^[243][244]

• Copa América: 1999
• FIFA World Cup: 2002
• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005

Individual

• Campeonato Gaucho top scorer: 1999^[244][250]
• FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 1999^[251]
• FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Shoe: 1999^[251]
• South American Team of the Year: 1999^[252]
• CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament top scorer: 2000^[244]
• Bola de Prata: 2000, 2011, 2012^[253]
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2002^[254]
• Ligue 1 Goal of The Year: 2003^[255]
• FIFA 100: 2004^[256]
• Don Balón Award: 2003–04, 2005–06^[257]
• Trofeo EFE: 2003–04^[258]
• FIFA World Player of the Year: 2004, 2005
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2004, 2005, 2006^{[260][261][262]}
• World Soccer Magazine World Player of The Year: 2004, 2005^[263]
• UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2004–05^[264]
• FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Ball: 2005^[265]
• Ballon d’Or: 2005^[266]
• Onze d’Or: 2005^[267]
• FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2005, 2006^[268][269]
• FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006, 2007^{[270][271][272]}
• UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2005–06^[264]
• La Liga top assist provider: 2005–06^[273]
• UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2005–06^[274]
• FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball: 2006
• FIFA World Player of the Year Bronze award: 2006
• Golden Foot: 2009^[275]
• Sports Illustrated Team of the Decade: 2009^[276]
• Serie A top assist provider: 2009–10^[277]
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2011, 2012^[278][279]
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Best Fan’s Player: 2012
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A top assist provider: 2012^[280]
• Bola de Ouro: 2012^[281]
• Copa Libertadores top assist provider: 2012, 2013^[282][96]
• FIFA Club World Cup top scorer: 2013^[283]
• South American Footballer of the Year: 2013^[284]
• UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year (substitute; published in 2015)^[285]
• Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame^[286][287]
• AC Milan Hall of Fame^[288]
• Ballon d’Or Dream Team (Silver): 2020^[289]
• Globe Soccer Awards Player Career Award: 2021^[223]

Other

In 2012, two Brazilian entomologists named a new species of bee, from Brazil, Eulaema quadragintanovem, stating that «the specific epithet honors the Brazilian soccer player Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, famous worldwide as ‘Ronaldinho’ and in Brazil as ‘Ronaldinho Gaúcho’. ‘Quadraginta novem’ means forty-nine in Latin, the number of Ronaldinho’s jersey at Atlético Mineiro, his former team in Brazil. Ronaldinho chose the number 49 as an homage to his mother, born in 1949.»^[290]

See also

• List of association football families

References

Notes

External links

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is de Assis and the second or paternal family name is Moreira.

Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Ronaldo de Assis Moreira[1]
Date of birth	21 March 1980 (age 42)[1]
Place of birth	Porto Alegre, Brazil
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder, winger
Youth career
1987–1998	Grêmio
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–2001	Grêmio	89	(47)
2001–2003	Paris Saint-Germain	55	(17)
2003–2008	Barcelona	145	(70)
2008–2011	AC Milan	76	(20)
2011–2012	Flamengo	56	(23)
2012–2014	Atlético Mineiro	58	(20)
2014–2015	Querétaro	25	(8)
2015	Fluminense	7	(0)
Total		511	(205)
International career
1997	Brazil U17	13	(3)
1998–1999	Brazil U20	17	(8)
1999–2000	Brazil U23	19	(15)
2008	Brazil Olympic (O.P.)	8	(3)
1999–2013	Brazil	97	(33)
Honours Men’s football Representing  Brazil FIFA World Cup Winner 2002 Korea/Japan FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 2005 Germany Runner-up 1999 Mexico Copa América Winner 1999 Paraguay Olympic Games 2008 Beijing Team CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament Winner Brazil 2000 South American U-20 Championship 1999 Argentina FIFA U-17 World Cup Winner 1997 Egypt South American U-17 Championship Winner 1997 Paraguay
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁonawˈdʒĩɲu ɡaˈuʃu]) or simply Ronaldinho,^{[note 1]} is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a winger. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldinho won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d’Or. A global icon of the sport, he was renowned for his technical skills, creativity, dribbling ability and accuracy from free-kicks, his use of tricks, feints, no-look passes and overhead kicks, as well as his ability to score and create goals, all prominent characteristics of his early-age background playing futsal.

Ronaldinho made his career debut for Grêmio, in 1998. At age 20, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain in France before signing for Barcelona in 2003. In his second season with Barcelona, he won his first FIFA World Player of the Year award as Barcelona won the 2004–05 La Liga title. The season that followed is considered one of the best in his career as he was integral in Barcelona winning the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, their first in fourteen years, and another La Liga title, giving Ronaldinho his first career double, receiving the 2005 Ballon d’Or and his second FIFA World Player of the Year in the process. After scoring two spectacular solo goals in the first 2005–06 El Clásico, Ronaldinho became the second Barcelona player, after Diego Maradona in 1983, to receive a standing ovation from Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Following a second-place La Liga finish to Real Madrid in the 2006–07 season and an injury-plagued 2007–08 season, Ronaldinho suffered a decline in his performances—often put down to a decrease in dedication and focus having achieved so much in the sport—and departed Barcelona to join AC Milan, where he won the 2010–11 Serie A. He returned to Brazil to play for Flamengo in 2011 and Atlético Mineiro a year later where he won the 2013 Copa Libertadores, before moving to Mexico to play for Querétaro and then back to Brazil to play for Fluminense in 2015. Ronaldinho accumulated numerous other individual awards in his career: he was included in the UEFA Team of the Year and the FIFA World XI three times each, and was named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year for the 2005–06 season and South American Footballer of the Year in 2013; in 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players.

In his international career with Brazil, Ronaldinho earned 97 caps and scored 33 goals and represented his country in two FIFA World Cups. After debuting with the Seleção by winning the 1999 Copa América, he was an integral part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning team, starring alongside Ronaldo and Rivaldo in an attacking trio, and was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. As captain, he led his team to the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup title and was named man of the match in the final. He also captained the Brazil Olympic team to a bronze medal in men’s football at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Early and personal life

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira was born on 21 March 1980 in the city of Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.^[1][4] His mother, Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos,^[5] was a salesperson who studied to become a nurse.^[6] His father, João de Assis Moreira, was a shipyard worker and a footballer for the local club Esporte Clube Cruzeiro (not to be confused with the larger Cruzeiro Esporte Clube).^[7] After Ronaldo’s older brother Roberto signed with Grêmio, the family moved to a home in the more affluent Guarujá section of Porto Alegre, which was a gift from Grêmio to convince Roberto to stay at the club. Still, Roberto’s career was ultimately cut short by injury. It was in their new home where his father hit his head and drowned in the swimming pool when Ronaldo was eight.^[8] Today, Roberto acts as his manager, while his sister Deisi works as his press coordinator.^[9][10]

Ronaldo’s football skills began to blossom at the age of eight, and he was first given the nickname Ronaldinho – «inho» meaning small – because he was often the youngest and the smallest player in youth club matches.^[9] He developed an interest in futsal and beach football, which later expanded to organized football.^[11] Many of his signature moves originate from futsal, especially his ball control.^[12] His first brush with the media came at the age of 13, when he scored all 23 goals in a 23–0 victory against a local team.^[13] Ronaldinho was identified as a rising star at the 1997 U-17 World Championship in Egypt, in which he scored two goals on penalty kicks.^[14][15]

Growing up, his idols included the World Cup winning stars; Rivelino (from 1970), Diego Maradona (from 1986), Romário (from 1994), and his two future international teammates Ronaldo and Rivaldo (which would form the attacking trio in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup winning team).^[16] Ronaldinho is the father of a son, João, born on February 25, 2005 to Brazilian dancer Janaína Mendes and named after his late father.^[17] He gained Spanish citizenship in 2007.^[18] In March 2018, Ronaldinho joined the Brazilian Republican Party, which has links to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.^[19] Ronaldinho endorsed presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro in the 2018 Brazilian presidential election.^[20]

Club career

Grêmio

Ronaldinho’s career began with the Grêmio youth squad. He made his senior side debut during the 1998 Copa Libertadores.^[22] 1999 saw the emergence of the 18-year-old Ronaldinho, with 22 goals in 47 matches, and he put in headlining displays in derbies against Internacional, most notably on 20 June 1999 in the Rio Grande do Sul State Championship final.^[23] In a match-winning performance, Ronaldinho embarrassed Internacional’s Brazilian legend and 1994 World Cup-winning captain Dunga, flicking the ball over his head on one occasion, and leaving him flat-footed in a mazy dribble on another.^[23] Ronaldinho achieved further success with Grêmio, winning the inaugural Copa Sul.^[23]

In 2001, Arsenal expressed interest in signing Ronaldinho, but the move collapsed after he could not obtain a work permit because he was a non-EU player who had not played enough international matches.^[24] He considered playing on loan with Scottish Premier League side St Mirren, which never happened due to his involvement in a fake passport scandal in Brazil.^[25]

Paris Saint-Germain

In 2001, Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract with French club Paris Saint-Germain in a €5 million transfer.^[27] Upon his arrival in Paris, Ronaldinho was given the number 21 shirt and inserted into a lineup that included fellow Brazilian Aloísio, midfielder Jay-Jay Okocha and striker Nicolas Anelka.^[28]

2001–02 season

Ronaldinho made his league debut for the club on 4 August 2001, appearing as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Auxerre.^[29] Ronaldinho spent the majority of the first few months of the 2001–02 season alternated between the bench and starter’s role. He scored his first goal for the club on 13 October in a 2–2 draw against Lyon, converting the equalizing penalty in the 79th minute after having come on ten minutes prior.^[30] After returning from the winter break, Ronaldinho went on a tear, scoring a goal in four consecutive matches to open the new campaign. He recorded impressive goals against Monaco, Rennes, Lens and Lorient. On 16 March 2002, he recorded a double in PSG’s 3–1 victory against relegation strugglers Troyes.^[31] He scored his final league goal of the season in the club’s 2–0 win over Metz on 27 April.^[32]

Ronaldinho was also influential in the 2001–02 Coupe de la Ligue, helping PSG reach the semi-finals where they were eliminated by Bordeaux. In a Round of 16 match against Guingamp, Ronaldinho scored two second half goals in the game after having entered the match as a half-time substitute. Despite Ronaldinho’s initial success with the club, the season was marred by controversy with Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Fernández, claiming that the Brazilian was too focused on the Parisian nightlife rather than football, and complained that his holidays in Brazil never ended at the scheduled times.^[22]

2002–03 season

Despite repeated rifts with Fernández, Ronaldinho returned to the team for the 2002–03 season, with the player switching to the number 10 shirt. Though his performances in his second season with the club were underwhelming compared to his first, Ronaldinho performed admirably with the club. On 26 October 2002, he scored two goals in PSG’s 3–1 victory over Classique rivals Marseille. The first goal was a free kick, which curled past numerous Marseille players in the 18-yard box before sailing past goalkeeper Vedran Runje. In the return match, he again scored in PSG’s 3–0 victory at the Stade Vélodrome, running half the length of the field before flicking the ball over the goalkeeper.^[33] On 22 February 2003, Ronaldinho scored the goal of the season (chosen by public vote) against Guingamp — he beat one opponent before playing a one-two to beat another, then lifted the ball over a third before beating a fourth with a step over (dropping his shoulder, moving right but going left) and finished by lifting the ball over the goalkeeper.^[26]

Ronaldinho was also praised for his performance in the Coupe de France when he scored both goals in the club’s 2–0 win over Bordeaux in the semi-finals, which inserted PSG into the final. After scoring his first goal in the 22nd minute, Ronaldinho capped the game in the 81st minute, accurately chipping the ball at the 18-yard box over the head of goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé, despite Ramé being in a favorable position. For his performance, Ronaldinho was given a standing ovation by the Parisian supporters. Unfortunately for the club, however, Ronaldinho and the team failed to capture the form that got them to the final as they bowed out 2–1 to Auxerre due to a last minute goal from Jean-Alain Boumsong. Despite Ronaldinho’s performances, the club finished in a disappointing 11th-placed position. Following the season, Ronaldinho declared he wanted to leave the club after the capital club failed to qualify for any European competition.^[34]

Barcelona

Newly elected FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta stated, «I said we would lead Barça to the forefront of the footballing world, and for that to occur we had to sign one of these three players, David Beckham, Thierry Henry or Ronaldinho».^[36] Henry remained with Arsenal, and Laporta then promised to bring Beckham to the club, but following his transfer to Real Madrid, Barcelona entered the running for Ronaldinho and outbid Manchester United for his signature in a €30 million deal.^[37][38]

2003–04 season

The club where he would spend his peak years and the basis of his global fame,^[39] Ronaldinho made his Barcelona debut in a friendly against Juventus at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on 27 July, with coach Frank Rijkaard stating post match, «He has something special every time he touches the ball.»^[40] He scored his first competitive goal in La Liga on 3 September 2003 against Sevilla at 1.30 a.m. local time, in a match that kicked off at five minutes past midnight.^[41] After receiving the ball from his goalkeeper inside his own half, Ronaldinho ran through the midfield and dribbled past two Sevilla players before striking the ball from 30 yards which hammered off the underside of the crossbar and back up into the roof of the net.^[41] Ronaldinho suffered from injury during the first half of the campaign,^[42] and Barcelona slumped to 12th in the league standings midway through the season. Ronaldinho returned from injury and scored 15 goals in La Liga during the 2003–04 season, helping the team ultimately finish second in the league.^[43][44] His scooped pass set up the winning goal for Xavi away to Real Madrid on 25 April 2004, the club’s first win at the Bernabéu in seven years, a result Xavi credits as the start of «the Barcelona rise.»^[45]

2004–05 season

Ronaldinho won his first league title in 2004–05, and was named FIFA World Player of the Year on 20 December 2004.^[46] His captain at Barcelona, Carles Puyol, stated, «The greatest compliment I could give him is that he’s given Barcelona our spirit back. He has made us smile again.»^[45] His fame was growing with his entertaining and productive play in both the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. On 8 March 2005, Barcelona were eliminated from the latter competition by Chelsea in the first knockout round, losing 5–4 over two legs.^[47] Ronaldinho scored both goals in the 4–2 second leg loss at Stamford Bridge in London, the second a spectacular strike where he feinted to shoot before striking the ball with little back-lift past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech from 20 yards out.^[47]

«It’s like someone pressed pause and for three seconds all the players stopped and I’m the only one that moves.»

— Ronaldinho reflects on his toe-poke goal against Chelsea.^[11]

On 1 May 2005, Ronaldinho made the assist for Lionel Messi’s first goal for Barcelona, executing a scooped pass over the Albacete defence for Messi to finish.^[48] With his contract expiring in 2008, Ronaldinho was offered an extension until 2014 that would have net him £85 million over nine years,^[49] but he turned it down. In September 2005, he signed a two-year extension that contained a minimum-fee release clause that allowed him to leave should a club make an offer to Barcelona of at least £85 million for him.^[50]

2005–06 season

By the end of the year 2005, Ronaldinho had started to accumulate a host of personal awards. He won the inaugural FIFPro World Player of the Year in September 2005, in addition to being included in the 2005 FIFPro World XI, and being named the 2005 European Footballer of the Year. Also that year, Ronaldinho was voted the FIFA World Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.^[46] He became only the third player to win the award more than once, after three-time winners Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane.^[46] His domination as the world’s best footballer was undisputed as he also won the prestigious Ballon d’Or for the only time in his career.^[51]

On 19 November, Ronaldinho scored twice as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3–0 on the road in the first leg of El Clásico. After he sealed the match with his second goal, Madrid fans paid homage to his performance by applauding, so rare a tribute only Diego Maradona had ever been granted previously as a Barcelona player at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.^[52] Ronaldinho stated, «I will never forget this because it is very rare for any footballer to be applauded in this way by the opposition fans.»^[52]

The season is considered one of the best in Ronaldinho’s career as he was an instrumental part of Barcelona’s first Champions League title in 14 years. After winning their group convincingly, Barcelona faced Chelsea in the round of 16 for a rematch of the previous year.^[54] Ronaldinho scored a decisive goal in the second leg, going past three Chelsea defenders on the edge of the penalty area before beating the goalkeeper, sealing Barcelona’s qualification to the next round.^[54] He also contributed one goal in Barcelona’s elimination of Benfica in the quarter-finals with a 2–0 home victory. After a 1–0 semi-final aggregate win over Milan, in which Ronaldinho assisted the series’ only goal by Ludovic Giuly, Barcelona progressed to the Champions League Final, which they won on 17 May 2006 with a 2–1 beating of Arsenal.^[55] Two weeks earlier, Barcelona had clinched their second-straight La Liga title with a 1–0 win over Celta de Vigo, giving Ronaldinho his first career double.^[56]

Throughout the season, Ronaldinho linked up with prolific Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o in attack, providing a number of assists to the 34 goal striker; Ronaldinho’s pass also put Eto’o through on goal in the Champions League Final from which he was brought down by Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann who was sent off.^[57] Ronaldinho finished the season with a career-best 26 goals, including seventeen in La Liga and seven in the Champions League, and was chosen for the UEFA Team of the Year for the third consecutive time and was named the 2005–06 UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.^[43] He was named in the six man shortlist for the 2006 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, and was selected in the FIFA World XI.^[58]

2006–07 season

On 25 November 2006, Ronaldinho scored his 50th career league goal against Villarreal, then scored a second time with a spectacular overhead bicycle kick; receiving Xavi’s cross, he flicked the ball up with his chest and spun 180 degrees to finish – Barcelona fans waved white handkerchiefs in admiration of the goal.^[60] Post match he told reporters that the latter was a goal he had dreamed of scoring since he was a boy.^[61] He scored once and set up two others in Barcelona’s 4–0 Club World Cup win over Mexico’s Club América on 14 December in Yokohama, Japan,^[62] but Barcelona were defeated 1–0 by Brazilian club Internacional in the final. Ronaldinho was the recipient of the Bronze Ball Award for the competition.^[63]

The next day, Ronaldinho finished third in the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, behind 2006 World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and Zinedine Zidane.^[64] In March 2007, defending champions Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League at the last 16 stage by Liverpool.^[65] Ronaldinho was forced to miss a charity match on 13 March due to an injury he had picked up several days earlier in Barcelona’s 3–3 El Clásico draw with Real Madrid.^[66] Although Ronaldinho scored his career-best 21 league goals, the team lost the title to Real with a worse head-to-head record, as both teams finished the season with the same number of points.^[43][67]

2007–08 season

Ronaldinho played his 200th career match for Barcelona in a league match against Osasuna on 3 February 2008. His 2007–08 campaign as a whole, however, was plagued by injuries, and a muscle tear in his right leg on 3 April prematurely ended his season.^[69] Having been a model professional and devoted himself to training during his hugely successful first three seasons at Barcelona, Ronaldinho’s partying lifestyle and lack of dedication to training saw his physical condition decline, with many at the club believing he was already below his prime.^[70][71] On 19 May 2008, Barcelona club president Joan Laporta stated that Ronaldinho needed a «new challenge», claiming that he needed a new club if he were to revive his career.^[72]

Ronaldinho joined Barca as a toothy-grinned wizard who had the club under his spell for three glorious seasons. He will leave a rather forlorn figure. Whether his magic has been exhausted or he just needs a new challenge remains to be seen.

— Simon Baskett, Reuters, July 2008.^[68]

Ronaldinho and Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi each captained a team of international stars in an anti-racism exhibition match in Venezuela on 28 June, which ended in a 7–7 draw. Ronaldinho finished with a pair of goals and two assists in what would be his last match as a Barcelona player.^[73] In preparation for the 2010 Joan Gamper Trophy, Ronaldinho sent an open letter to the fans and players of Barcelona, stating that his best years had been the five he spent in the Catalan club.^[74] It was a sad moment for him and he later said in an interview that he regretted leaving without playing long enough with Messi.^[75]

AC Milan

In July 2008, Ronaldinho turned down a £25.5 million offer from Manchester City of the Premier League, with purported wages of £200,000 per week on offer,^[76] to join Italian Serie A giants AC Milan on a three-year contract thought to be worth around £5.1 million (€6.5 million) a year, for €22.05 million plus €1.05 million bonus each season (€24.15 million in 2010).^{[77][78][79][80]} With the number 10 already occupied by teammate Clarence Seedorf, he selected 80 as his jersey number.^[81]

2008–09 season

Ronaldinho scored his first goal for Milan in a 1–0 derby victory over Inter Milan on 28 September. His first brace was in a 3–0 win over Sampdoria on 19 October. He scored a 93rd-minute match-winner against Braga in the UEFA Cup group stage on 6 November.^[70] Ronaldinho finished the 2008–09 season at Milan with 10 goals from 32 appearances in all competitions. After a good start to the season, Ronaldinho struggled with fitness, and was often played from the bench to end a disappointing first season for Milan.^[70] A perceived lack of dedication in training and a lifestyle of late night partying not befitting of an athlete saw him receive criticism, with Carlo Ancelotti, his coach at Milan in his first season in Italy, commenting, «The decline of Ronaldinho hasn’t surprised me. His physical condition has always been very precarious. His talent though has never been in question.»^[70]

2009–10 season

Ronaldinho’s second season did not begin on a high note, but he soon rediscovered his form and was arguably Milan’s best player of the season. Newly appointed coach Leonardo changed his role from a central attacking midfielder to the left side of midfield, with Alexandre Pato on the right, in an offensive 4–3–3 formation.^[82]

On 10 January 2010, Ronaldinho scored two goals against Juventus in an away match, sealing a 3–0 victory for Milan. In the following match, against Siena on 17 January, Ronaldinho scored his first hat-trick for Milan when he converted a penalty kick, scored with a header from a corner and finished with a strike into the top right corner from 20 yards out.^[83] The Estado De São Paulo newspaper declared, «Ronaldinho revives his golden years.»^[82] On 16 February, Ronaldinho played against Manchester United in the Champions League. He scored early in the game at the San Siro to give Milan the lead. Milan ended up losing the game 3–2, with a goal from Paul Scholes and two goals from Wayne Rooney.^[84]

Ronaldinho finished the season as the assists leader of Serie A. On a less positive note, however, he missed three penalties in the domestic season to add to one botched kick the previous season. Ronaldinho ended the Serie A campaign scoring two goals against Juventus; Luca Antonini opened the scoring and Milan went on to win 3–0 in Leonardo’s last game in charge.^[85]

2010–11 season

During the first half of the season, Ronaldinho was part of the team’s attack that also included two new signings, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Robinho. Before the winter break, he made 16 appearances, scored one goal, and made several assists. Despite leaving the club at half-season, he was still eligible for a 2010–11 Serie A winner’s medal as Milan won the competition.^[86]

Flamengo

After being heavily linked with a move back to his childhood club Grêmio, Ronaldinho joined Flamengo on 11 January 2011 with a contract ending in 2014.^[87] During the transfer saga, many reports had linked the former World Player of the Year to joining different clubs, such as LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer, Blackburn Rovers of the Premier League, and Brazilian clubs Corinthians and Palmeiras. He was greeted by more than 20,000 fans at his unveiling at his new club on 13 January 2011.^[88]

Ronaldinho scored his first goal for Flamengo in the 3–2 victory against Boavista on 6 February 2011.^[89] On 27 February, he converted a second-half free kick for Flamengo to beat Boavista 1–0 and win his first piece of silverware with the team, the Taça Guanabara. Ronaldinho lifted his first trophy with Flamengo after curling in a right-footed shot over the wall in the 71st minute at Engenhão stadium. The goal gave Flamengo its 19th Taça Guanabara title, which earned the Campeonato Carioca title two months later, as the team also won the Taça Rio. On 27 July 2011, Ronaldinho scored a hat-trick in Flamengo’s 5–4 away win against rivals Santos, after being 3–0 down inside the first 30 minutes.^[90] On 31 May 2012, after being absent for a few days, he sued Flamengo claiming lack of payment for four months and cancelled his contract with the club.^[91]

Atlético Mineiro

Ronaldinho made a move to Atlético Mineiro on 4 June 2012 in a six-month contract, just four days after leaving Flamengo. He wore number 49 in reference to his mother’s birth year since his preferred number 10 was already assigned to Guilherme in the 2012 season.^[92]

Ronaldinho made his debut for Galo on 9 June 2012, playing for 90 minutes in a 1–0 away win against Palmeiras,^[93] and scored his first goal for the club on 23 June 2012 against Náutico, from the penalty spot.^[94] Ronaldinho led Atlético Mineiro to a good 2012 season, in which the club finished second in the 2012 Brasileirão and qualified for the 2013 Copa Libertadores. Ronaldinho won the Bola de Ouro award, selected as the best player in the league.^[95]

The following year, Ronaldinho helped Atlético win the Campeonato Mineiro and led the club to its first Copa Libertadores title. Ronaldinho scored four goals and assisted on eight occasions during Atlético’s dramatic title run,^[96] which included consecutive comebacks from 0–2 first leg defeats in both the semi-finals against Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys and the finals against Club Olimpia from Paraguay. Both ties were determined in Atlético’s favour after penalty shootouts. Although six years past his best, Ronaldinho’s displays saw him voted the 2013 South American Footballer of the Year.^[97]

At the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup held in Morocco in December, Atlético lost 3–1 to Raja Casablanca in the semi-final, with Ronaldinho scoring from a free-kick. As the final whistle blew, the Raja Casablanca team rushed to their childhood idol and stripped him down to his underpants in search of souvenirs.^[8] He renewed his contract with Atlético in January 2014.^[98] After winning the 2014 Recopa Sudamericana, Ronaldinho left the club in July, reaching an agreement to cancel his contract by mutual consent.^[99]

Querétaro

After becoming a free agent, Ronaldinho was offered contracts from English Conference South club Basingstoke Town and newly formed Indian Super League franchise Chennai Titans through their co-owner Prashant Agarwal,^{[100][101][102]} but eventually signed a two-year contract with Mexican club Querétaro on 5 September 2014.^[103][104] Ronaldinho made his debut for Querétaro in a 1–0 loss to Tigres UANL where he missed a penalty kick.^[105] In his next match, however, against Guadalajara, he had a much better game, setting up Camilo Sanvezzo to score as well as scoring himself from a penalty kick in a 4–1 win.^[106] On 30 October 2014, he scored a free kick against Atlas during an away match at the Estadio Jalisco.^[107]

On 18 April 2015, Ronaldinho scored twice against Liga MX title-holders América in an away game at the Estadio Azteca, in which his team won 4–0.^[108] All of the spectators, mostly consisting of América supporters, gave a standing ovation to Ronaldinho after his goals had brought him to tears. This was the second time in Ronaldinho’s career he had received such an ovation from opposing fans (after Madrid fans had applauded his performance in a Barcelona shirt in 2005), and after the match, Ronaldinho stated in an interview, «It is an emotion to live more. I had an ovation at the Bernabéu and now here. I never imagined this. It is something that makes me like Mexico even more and I feel right at home.»^[109][110]

Ronaldinho scored two penalties in consecutive matches, the second giving Querétaro the classification to the Liga MX playoffs.^[111] On 17 May 2015, Querétaro progressed to the semi-finals after defeating Veracruz 4–3 aggregate. In the second match, Ronaldinho scored a free kick with the help of the opponent’s goalkeeper who made contact with the ball.^[112] Querétaro eventually advanced to the final after beating Pachuca on aggregate 2–2. In the final against Santos Laguna, Querétaro lost the first leg 0–5 and then won the 2nd leg 3–0 but lost 3–5 on aggregate. In June 2015, Ronaldinho, now 35, announced his departure from the club and thanked the Mexican people and fans of Querétaro: «I want to thank all the Mexican nation for all the days that I have lived with people so special, you will be forever in my heart. Thank you very much the Nation Gallos Blancos, which made me very proud to wear this shirt and defend this club.»^[113]

Fluminense

On 11 July 2015, Ronaldinho announced his return to Brazil and signed an 18-month contract with Fluminense,^[114] but on 28 September, Ronaldinho reached a mutual agreement with the club to terminate the deal.^[115] He made nine appearances during his two-month stint at the club, failing to impress and being heavily criticized by the fans.^[116] Fluminense sporting director Mario Bittencourt stated, «Ronaldinho asked us for a meeting. He respectfully told us he didn’t feel he was able to perform as good as he wanted and that it was a bad situation for him. He made a great gesture in saying he wasn’t being the player he felt he could be right now. I’ll never speak about whether or not he is retiring. That’s not something you say about a player of his calibre. He was always spectacular, as player and person.»^[116]

Futsal in India

In July 2016, Ronaldinho played for the Goa 5′s, a futsal team from Goa in India, together with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Míchel Salgado, and Hernán Crespo as well as futsal player Falcão in the Premier Futsal League.^[117] After two games, he left India to be an ambassador of the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.^[118] He was replaced by Cafu.^[119]

From September to early October 2017, Ronaldinho joined the Delhi Dragons from Delhi in the Premier Futsal League. He scored 16 goals in eight games.^[120]

Retirement

On 16 January 2018, Ronaldinho confirmed his retirement from football through his brother/agent: «He has stopped, it is ended. Let’s do something pretty big and nice after the Russia World Cup, probably in August.»^[121] Such a celebration was supposed to take place three years after his last appearance for Fluminense, but has not materialized.^[121] He retired as one of just eight players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d’Or.^[122]

Ronaldinho appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 15 July, performing a few bars of the Russian folk song «Kalinka» (sung by opera singer Aida Garifullina) on an African drum.^[123]

International career

Youth teams

In 1997, Ronaldinho was part of the first Brazilian team to win the FIFA U-17 World Championship, which was held in Egypt, in which his first goal was a penalty against Austria in the first group match, which Brazil won 7–0.^[124] Ronaldinho finished with two goals and was awarded the Bronze Ball award as Brazil scored a total of 21 goals while only conceding 2.^[124]

1999 was a busy year for Ronaldinho in terms of international play. First he appeared in the South American Youth Championship, where he scored three goals in nine appearances and helped the U20s to reach third place.^[125] Then he took part in that year’s FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria, scoring his first goal in Brazil’s last group match.^[126] In the round of 16, he scored two first-half goals in a 4–0 win over Croatia, and finished with three goals as Brazil were eliminated by Uruguay in the quarter-finals.^[126]

Early success

On 26 June, three days before the start of the 1999 Copa América, he earned his first cap for Brazil in a 3–0 win over Latvia, and he scored one goal during Brazil’s victorious Copa América campaign. One week after the conclusion of the Copa América, he was called up for the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which he scored in every match except the final, including a hat-trick in an 8–2 semi-final rout of Saudi Arabia.^[127] In the final, Brazil lost 4–3 to Mexico. Ronaldinho won the Golden Ball award for the best player in tournament as well as the Golden Boot award for the tournament top-scorer.^[127]

In 2000, Ronaldinho participated in the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, with the U23 national team. Earlier that year, Ronaldinho led Brazil to win the Pre-Olympic Tournament, scoring nine goals in seven matches. In the Olympics, however, Brazil were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Cameroon, who later won the gold medal.^[128] Ronaldinho appeared four times and scored only one goal, which came in the quarter-final defeat by Cameroon.^[128]

2002 World Cup glory

Ronaldinho participated in his first World Cup in 2002, as part of a formidable offensive unit with Ronaldo and Rivaldo, dubbed the «Three Rs», who were also on the 1999 Copa América winning squad.^[130] The World Cup was held in South Korea and Japan, and Ronaldinho appeared in five matches during the tournament and scored two goals, as well as contributing with three assists.^[131] His first goal came in the group stage match against China PR, which Brazil won 4–0.^[132]

The most memorable match in Ronaldinho’s World Cup career took place in the quarter-final against England on 21 June.^[133] With Brazil trailing after Michael Owen’s 23-minute strike, Ronaldinho turned the game around. Having received the ball inside his own half, Ronaldinho ran at the England defence and wrong footed star defender Ashley Cole with a trademark step over before passing the ball to Rivaldo on the edge of the penalty area to score the equalising goal just before half-time.^[134] Then, in the 50th minute, Ronaldinho took a free-kick from 40 yards out which curled into the top left corner of the net, completely surprising England’s goalkeeper David Seaman, giving Brazil a 2–1 lead.^[133][135] Seven minutes later, however, he was controversially sent-off for a foul on England’s defender Danny Mills. Ronaldinho was suspended for the semi-final, but returned to Brazil’s starting lineup for the 2–0 victory over Germany in the final as Brazil won its record fifth World Cup title.^[136]

2005 Confederations Cup title

Ronaldinho’s next international tournament was the 2003 Confederations Cup, in which he went scoreless as Brazil were eliminated in the group stage. The following year, he was dropped from Brazil’s 2004 Copa América squad, as coach Carlos Alberto Parreira decided to rest his stars and used a largely reserve squad.^[137]

After falling short in 1999 and 2003, Ronaldinho was the captain of Brazil and led his team to its second ever Confederations Cup title in 2005. He converted a penalty kick in a 3–2 semi-final win against host Germany and was named Man of the Match in a 4–1 victory over archrival Argentina in the final on 29 June.^[138] Ronaldinho scored three goals in the tournament and is tied with Mexican forward Cuauhtémoc Blanco as the tournament’s all-time scorer with nine goals.^[139]

2006 World Cup

For the 2006 World Cup finals, Ronaldinho was part of Brazil’s much-publicized «magic quartet» of offensive players alongside Adriano, Ronaldo and Kaká, which was expected to provide the «Joga Bonito» style of play that was the focus of an extensive advertising campaign by Nike leading up to the tournament.^[140] However, deemed «top heavy and unbalanced», the team finished with ten goals in five games, with Ronaldinho himself going scoreless and finishing with only one assist (for Gilberto’s goal in a 4–1 group stage victory over Japan), as he turned in his worst collective performance in his international career.^[140] Brazil endured a disappointing campaign that culminated in a 1–0 loss to France in the quarter-finals, during which the Seleção had only one shot on goal.^[141]

The team was harshly criticized by Brazilian fans and media following their return home. On 3 July, two days after Brazil’s elimination, vandals immolated and destroyed a 23-foot (7.5-metre) tall fiberglass and resin statue of Ronaldinho in Chapecó.^[143] The statue had been erected in 2004 to celebrate his first FIFA World Player of the Year award. That same day, Ronaldinho, joined by Adriano, returned to the city of Barcelona and held a party at his home, which was continued into the early morning hours at a nightclub. This aggravated the hard feelings of many Brazilian fans, who believed that they were betrayed by the lack of effort from the squad.^[144] Displaying a passivity to Brazil’s poor showing, the 2006 World Cup is now seen as the turning point in Ronaldinho’s career, with his time at the summit of the game almost up.^[8] 1970 Brazil World Cup winner Tostão wrote in O Tempo: «Ronaldinho lacks an important characteristic of Maradona and Pelé — aggression. They transformed themselves in adversity. They became possessed, and furious.»^[8]

2008 Olympic medal

On 24 March 2007, Ronaldinho scored twice in a 4–0 win over Chile, which marked his first goal since the 2005 Confederations Cup final and thus ended a scoreless streak that lasted nearly two years.^[145] He was not called up for the 2007 Copa América after asking to be excused from the tournament due to fatigue.^[146] On 18 October, he was controversially benched by Barcelona after he was late returning to Spain following Brazil’s 5–0 friendly win over Ecuador. He and several Brazil players celebrated the win by partying through the night at a posh Rio de Janeiro nightclub. Ronaldinho left at 11 am the next morning, allegedly in the trunk of a car in order to avoid the media.^[147]

On 7 July 2008, Ronaldinho was named in Brazil’s 2008 Summer Olympics squad as one of the overage players.^[148] Barcelona initially blocked the move because of his then-upcoming Champions League commitments with the club, but the decision was later nullified following Ronaldinho’s transfer to Milan, who in turn permitted him to make the trip to Beijing, China.^[149] Ronaldinho captained the team, and he scored his only two goals in a 5–0 victory over New Zealand before Brazil were beaten by Argentina in the semi-final. Brazil finished with the bronze medal after defeating Belgium 3–0 in the third-place match.^[150]

2010 and 2014 World Cup absence

Despite having returned to good form and being named as a member of the 30-man provisional squad that was submitted to FIFA on 11 May 2010,^[151] he was not named in coach Dunga’s final squad of 23 for the Brazilian squad in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup^[152] despite his deep desire to participate in the competition.^[153] Critics claimed that the exclusion of players such as Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato, Adriano and Ronaldo signaled a move away from the classic Brazilian attacking «Joga Bonito» style of play.^[152] At the tournament, Brazil was eliminated by the Netherlands in the quarter-final.^[154]

In September 2011, Ronaldinho made his return to the national team under coach Mano Menezes in a friendly against Ghana at Fulham’s Craven Cottage,^[155] playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 win for Brazil. He then had solid performances in back to back friendlies against Argentina in the same month. In October, he performed well against Mexico in a friendly, scoring a free kick to equalize after Dani Alves was sent off. Brazil went on to win the match with a goal from Marcelo.^[156]

Ronaldinho’s good form continued in 2013, and in January he was unexpectedly called up by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari^[157] for a friendly against England played on 6 February at Wembley Stadium as part of The Football Association (FA)’s 150th anniversary.^[158] Ronaldinho started in what was his 100th cap (including non-official matches), and had a chance to score from the penalty kick, but his shot was saved by Joe Hart. Brazil lost the match 1–2.^[159] He was again called up for the Seleção, being named captain of the national team for an international friendly with Chile on 24 April 2013.^[160] However, Ronaldinho was not selected for the national team for the 2013 Confederations Cup and he was also omitted from Scolari’s 2014 World Cup finals squad.^[161]

Player profile

Style of play

Ronaldinho is regarded as one of the greatest and most skilful players of all time.^{[162][163][164][165][166]} Due to his ability to score and create goals, he was capable of playing in several offensive positions, on either wing or in a free central role.^[167][168] Throughout his career, he was often deployed as a winger, although he usually played as a classic number 10 in an attacking midfielder role.^[168][169] While he is naturally right–footed, during his time at Barcelona, Ronaldinho was also used as an inverted winger on the left flank at times by manager Frank Rijkaard, while the left–footed Messi was deployed on the right; this position allowed him to take on defenders on the outside and cross the ball, or cut inside and shoot on goal with his stronger foot.^{[170][171][172]} He was also capable of playing as a second striker.^[173]

Despite primarily being a creative player, who was renowned for his passing, vision, and playmaking ability, Ronaldinho was an accurate finisher with either foot, both from inside and outside the penalty area, as well as being a free-kick and penalty kick specialist.^{[168][174][175]} Although he was primarily known for his ability to bend the ball from set pieces,^[176] he was also capable of striking the ball with power underneath the wall, and also occasionally used the knuckleball technique, which was popularised by his compatriot Juninho Pernambucano.^{[177][178][179]} His versatility and prowess from set pieces made him one of the most prolific free kick takers in history,^[180] and also influenced his former teammate Messi, who went on to become a free kick specialist himself.^[181]

Throughout his career, Ronaldinho was praised by pundits in particular for his technical skills, flair, and creativity, as well as his exceptional first touch.^[8][171] With his pace, acceleration, athleticism, balance, ball control, and dribbling ability, he was capable of beating players when undertaking individual runs, often using an array of tricks and feints to get past opponents in one on one situations, including step overs and nutmegs.^{[8][11][168][176]} Physically strong in possession of the ball, Richard Williams writes «slender in build, the Brazilian has a strength belying the cartoonish smile».^[171] He also incorporated flashy moves such as back–heels, bicycle kicks, and no–look passes into his general gameplay.^{[182][183][184][185]} Among his repertoire of moves, is the «elastico», a move he learned by watching videos of one of his idols, the 1970s Brazilian star Rivelino.^[186][187] Ronaldinho came to be known as one of the best exponents of the feint, and in parts of Africa – especially Nigeria – this move is now called ‘The Gaúcho’ after him, due to his role in popularising the use of this particular skill.^{[11][186][187]}

Reception

ESPN described Ronaldinho as being «skillful by nature, his tricks are unparalleled and he is wonderful with the ball at his feet. One of the coolest players in pressure situations» and a «fast, brash, skilful, tricky, an uninhibited playmaker» who provides «a mix of goals, assists, skills and a large repertoire of crafty moves».^[188] Zlatan Ibrahimović stated, «Prime Ronaldinho was phenomenal. He made his opponents look like children».^[189] Former Portugal midfield playmaker Rui Costa has said of his vision and passing ability: «There are not many players who can offer goal-scoring passes like he can. He is just marvellous. He is a rare case of an assist man who can provide the ball from anywhere.»^[188] In 2010, his former Barcelona teammate, Edgar Davids, said of him: «For the skills and tricks, Ronaldinho was the best player that I ever played with.»^[190] Another one of his former Barcelona teammate, Henrik Larsson, echoed this view.^[190] His compatriot Willian rated him as the greatest player of all time in 2019,^[191] while Juninho described him as the most skilful player he had ever seen. In 2019, FourFourTwo described him as «possibly the best technician in the history of football in Brazil,» placing him at number five in their list of «The 101 greatest football players of the last 25 years.»^[192] In 2006, Richard Williams of The Guardian described Ronaldinho as a «genius,» while his former Barcelona teammate Sylvinho said of him: «He’s so smart, so intelligent, that sometimes it’s difficult to read his mind,» also adding: «He’s amazing. He’s 100% talent. And he’s a powerful player as well, so it’s difficult to stop him.»^[171]

The Brazilian legend Tostão claimed: «Ronaldinho has the dribbling skills of Rivelino, the vision of Gérson, the spirit and happiness of Garrincha, the pace, skill and power of Jairzinho and Ronaldo, the technical ability of Zico and the creativity of Romário.» Above all he had one, very special ability: he made you smile.

— Sid Lowe after Ronaldinho’s retirement in January 2018.^[162]

In spite of his performances at his peak, a period of dedication and focus which saw him named the FIFA World Player of the Year twice and receive the Ballon d’Or, Ronaldinho was also criticised on occasion in the media for his lack of discipline in training, as well as his hedonistic lifestyle off the pitch, which some pundits believed had an impact on the overall longevity of his career.^[193] Referring to Ronaldinho as «Brazil’s childlike genius who never grew up», Tim Vickery writes that it was the sudden death of his father at such a young age that may have seen Ronaldinho stop making the sacrifices needed to remain at the summit of the sport, with the attitude of «life is short and can end unexpectedly–so enjoy it while you can.»^[8]

Outside football

Ronaldinho has had endorsements with many companies, including Nike, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, EA Sports and Danone.^[53][194] One of the world’s highest paid players, in 2006 he earned over $19 million from endorsements.^[195] Having endorsed Pepsi for much of his career and appeared in commercials with David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho signed a deal with Coca-Cola in 2011, however this was terminated in July 2012 after he was caught drinking Pepsi in a news conference.^[196]

Ronaldinho has featured in EA Sports’ FIFA video game series, appearing on the cover of FIFA Football 2004, FIFA Street, FIFA 06, FIFA 07, FIFA Street 3, FIFA 08 and FIFA 09.^[194] At the beginning of his career Ronaldinho signed a lucrative 10-year deal with sportswear company Nike (wearing Nike Tiempo R10 boots designed for him).^[53] He has appeared in Nike commercials, including the 2002 «Secret Tournament» commercial (branded «Scorpion KO») directed by Terry Gilliam.^[197] His 2005 Nike advertisement, where he is given a new pair of boots and then proceeds to juggle a football and appears to repeatedly volley it against the crossbar of a goal and recover it without the ball touching the ground, went viral on YouTube, becoming the site’s first video to reach one million views.^[198][199] A 2010 Nike commercial, Write the Future directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, features Ronaldinho executing a number of stepovers, which became a viral video re-enacted and shared millions of times.^[200]

A wax sculpture of Ronaldinho was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong in December 2007.^[201] Ronaldinho has had an official role with UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, since February 2006.^[202] In 2011, he was recruited by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS to promote awareness among young people of the disease and how to avoid it.^[203] In March 2015, Ronaldinho was the sixth most popular sportsperson on Facebook, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Beckham, Neymar and Kaká, with 31 million Facebook fans.^[204] Ronaldinho also has over 50 million Instagram followers.^[205]

On 2 February 2017, Barcelona announced that Ronaldinho signed a 10-year deal to become an ambassador for the club at institutional events.^[206] On 6 July 2018, Ronaldinho announced a partnership with company World Soccer Coin (WSC) to develop a new cryptocurrency, the Ronaldinho Soccer Coin, with WSC claiming that the profits of the coin will be used to football projects such as «Ronaldinho Digital Stadiums.»^[207][208]

On 25 October 2020, Ronaldinho announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 and was asymptomatic and self-isolating in Belo Horizonte.^[209] A few days later, on 29 October 2020, Ronaldinho released a statement regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Azerbaijan. He expressed solidarity with Azerbaijani people.^[210] In late July 2021, he went to Beirut, Lebanon, to lay a wreath in honor of victims of the port explosion.^[211]

In fiction, Ronaldinho features as a character in Rupert Thomson’s 2021 novel Barcelona Dreaming.^[212]

Legal troubles

In July 2019, 57 properties belonging to Ronaldinho along with his Brazilian and Spanish passports were confiscated because of unpaid taxes and fines.^[213] The judge ultimately decided to reduce the fine from R$8.5 million to R$6 million for building a fishing platform on Guaíba River in a ‘heritage-protected’ area.^[214] Ronaldinho and his brother would ultimately fail to pay the fines within the allotted time and have their passports suspended.^[215]

In March 2020, he was questioned by police in Paraguay after he was alleged to have used a fake passport to enter the country while coming for a charity event and book promotion,^[216] with Ronaldinho and his brother both being held in custody in the country.^[217][218] While in prison, he competed in a prison futsal tournament, where his team was victorious. They won 11–2 in the finals, with Ronaldinho scoring 5 goals and assisting the other 6.^[219] He attempted to appeal the detention order but was ordered to remain under house arrest with his brother.^[218] On 24 August 2020, Ronaldinho and his brother were released from Paraguayan prison after their judge agreed to a plea deal with fines of US$90,000 and US$110,000 for the brothers, respectively.^{[220][221][222]}

Career statistics

Ronaldinho made 853 appearances and scored 328 goals for club and country combined, with a goalscoring average of 0.38.^[223]

Club

International

Appearances and goals by national team, year and competition

Team	Year	Competitive	Friendly	Total
Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Brazil U17[228][229]	1997	13[a]	3	–	13	3
Brazil U20[230][231][232]	1998	–	3	2	3	2
1999	14[b]	6	–	14	6
Total	14	6	3	2	17	8
Brazil U23[233][234][235]	1999	–	4	1	4	1
2000	11[c]	10	4	4	15	14
2008	6[d]	2	2	1	8	3
Total	17	12	10	6	27	18
Brazil[236]	1999	9[e]	7	4	0	13	7
2000	4[f]	0	1	1	5	1
2001	2[g]	0	2	1	4	1
2002	5[h]	2	5	2	10	4
2003	4[i]	1	4	1	8	2
2004	5[j]	1	5	5	10	6
2005	10[k]	5	2	1	12	6
2006	5[l]	0	4	0	9	0
2007	4[m]	1	7	4	11	5
2008	2[n]	0	–	2	0
2009	2[o]	0	1	0	3	0
2010	–	1	0	1	0
2011	–	5	1	5	1
2012	–	1	0	1	0
2013	–	3	0	3	0
Total	52	17	45	16	97	33
Career total	96	38	58	24	154	62

Notes

Scores and results list Brazil’s goal tally first.

International goals by number, cap, date, venue, opponent, score, result and competition

No.	Cap	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	2	30 June 1999	Estádio 3 de Febrero, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay	Venezuela	5–0	5–0	1999 Copa América	[237]
2	6	24 July 1999	Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico	Germany	2–0	4–0	1999 FIFA Confederations Cup	[237]
3	7	28 July 1999	Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico	United States	1–0	1–0	1999 FIFA Confederations Cup	[237]
4	8	30 July 1999	Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico	New Zealand	2–0	2–0	1999 FIFA Confederations Cup	[237]
5	9	1 August 1999	Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico	Saudi Arabia	2–0	8–2	1999 FIFA Confederations Cup	[237]
6	6–2
7	8–2
8	14	23 February 2000	Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Thailand	3–0	7–0	Friendly	[238]
9	19	3 March 2001	Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, United States	United States	1–0	2–1	Friendly	[238]
10	24	17 April 2002	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	Portugal	1–1	1–1	Friendly	[239]
11	27	8 June 2002	Jeju World Cup Stadium, Seogwipo, South Korea	China	3–0	4–0	2002 FIFA World Cup	[239]
12	29	21 June 2002	Shizuoka Stadium, Shizuoka, Japan	England	2–1	2–1	2002 FIFA World Cup	[239]
13	32	20 November 2002	Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea	South Korea	3–2	3–2	Friendly	[239]
14	34	29 March 2003	Estádio das Antas, Porto, Portugal	Portugal	1–1	1–2	Friendly	[239]
15	40	10 September 2003	Vivaldão, Manaus, Brazil	Ecuador	1-0	1–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification	[239]
16	43	28 April 2004	Ferenc Puskás Stadium, Budapest, Hungary	Hungary	4–1	4–1	Friendly	[240]
17	45	18 August 2004	Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti	Haiti	2–0	6–0	Friendly	[240]
18	4–0
19	5–0
20	46	5 September 2004	Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil	Bolivia	2–0	3–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification	[240]
21	47	8 September 2004	Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany	Germany	1–1	1–1	Friendly	[240]
22	51	9 February 2005	Hong Kong Stadium, So Kon Po, Hong Kong	Hong Kong	4–0	7–1	Friendly	[240]
23	54	5 June 2005	Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, Brazil	Paraguay	1–0	4–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification	[240]
24	2–0
25	58	22 June 2005	RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany	Japan	2–1	2–2	2005 FIFA Confederations Cup	[240]
26	59	25 June 2005	Frankenstadion, Nuremberg, Germany	Germany	2–1	3–2	2005 FIFA Confederations Cup	[240]
27	60	29 June 2005	Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany	Argentina	3–0	4–1	2005 FIFA Confederations Cup	[240]
28	72	24 March 2007	Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden	Chile	1–0	4–0	Friendly	[241]
29	3–0
30	76	22 August 2007	Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France	Algeria	2–0	2–0	Friendly	[241]
31	77	9 September 2007	Soldier Field, Chicago, United States	United States	3–2	4–2	Friendly	[241]
32	80	17 October 2007	Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Ecuador	2–0	5–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification	[241]
33	93	11 October 2011	Estadio Corona, Torreón, Mexico	Mexico	1–1	2–1	Friendly	[242]

Honours

Grêmio^{[243][225][244]}

• Copa Sul: 1999
• Campeonato Gaúcho: 1999

Barcelona^[243][244]

• La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06^[245]
• Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006^[246]
• UEFA Champions League: 2005–06^[247]

AC Milan^{[243][248][244]}

• Serie A: 2010–11

Flamengo^{[243][249][244]}

• Campeonato Carioca: 2011

Atlético Mineiro^[249][244]

• Campeonato Mineiro: 2013
• Copa Libertadores: 2013
• Recopa Sudamericana: 2014

Brazil U17^[244]

• South American U-17 Championship: 1997
• FIFA U-17 World Championship: 1997

Brazil U23^[244][150]

• CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament: 2000
• Olympic Bronze Medal: 2008

Brazil^[243][244]

• Copa América: 1999
• FIFA World Cup: 2002
• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005

Individual

• Campeonato Gaucho top scorer: 1999^[244][250]
• FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 1999^[251]
• FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Shoe: 1999^[251]
• South American Team of the Year: 1999^[252]
• CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament top scorer: 2000^[244]
• Bola de Prata: 2000, 2011, 2012^[253]
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2002^[254]
• Ligue 1 Goal of The Year: 2003^[255]
• FIFA 100: 2004^[256]
• Don Balón Award: 2003–04, 2005–06^[257]
• Trofeo EFE: 2003–04^[258]
• FIFA World Player of the Year: 2004, 2005
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2004, 2005, 2006^{[260][261][262]}
• World Soccer Magazine World Player of The Year: 2004, 2005^[263]
• UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2004–05^[264]
• FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Ball: 2005^[265]
• Ballon d’Or: 2005^[266]
• Onze d’Or: 2005^[267]
• FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2005, 2006^[268][269]
• FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006, 2007^{[270][271][272]}
• UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2005–06^[264]
• La Liga top assist provider: 2005–06^[273]
• UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2005–06^[274]
• FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball: 2006
• FIFA World Player of the Year Bronze award: 2006
• Golden Foot: 2009^[275]
• Sports Illustrated Team of the Decade: 2009^[276]
• Serie A top assist provider: 2009–10^[277]
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2011, 2012^[278][279]
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Best Fan’s Player: 2012
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A top assist provider: 2012^[280]
• Bola de Ouro: 2012^[281]
• Copa Libertadores top assist provider: 2012, 2013^[282][96]
• FIFA Club World Cup top scorer: 2013^[283]
• South American Footballer of the Year: 2013^[284]
• UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year (substitute; published in 2015)^[285]
• Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame^[286][287]
• AC Milan Hall of Fame^[288]
• Ballon d’Or Dream Team (Silver): 2020^[289]
• Globe Soccer Awards Player Career Award: 2021^[223]

Other

In 2012, two Brazilian entomologists named a new species of bee, from Brazil, Eulaema quadragintanovem, stating that «the specific epithet honors the Brazilian soccer player Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, famous worldwide as ‘Ronaldinho’ and in Brazil as ‘Ronaldinho Gaúcho’. ‘Quadraginta novem’ means forty-nine in Latin, the number of Ronaldinho’s jersey at Atlético Mineiro, his former team in Brazil. Ronaldinho chose the number 49 as an homage to his mother, born in 1949.»^[290]

See also

• List of association football families

References

Notes

External links