Ronaldo de Assis Moreira
(born 21 March, 1980 in Porto Alegre) is a Brazilian footballer, commonly known
as Ronaldinho Gaúcho (due to his being from the Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil),
or simply Ronaldinho.
His name Ronaldinho (IPA - [?on?u?d???u]), Portuguese for "little Ronaldo",
was originally devised as a means of distinguishing between himself and fellow
Brazilian football star Ronaldo, with the additional title Gaúcho being used
when the current Ronaldo was also known as Ronaldinho. Among his many achievements
and accolades, Ronaldinho has been awarded the FIFA World Player of the Year
award twice (2004, 2005), as well as the European Footballer of the Year award
and the FIFPro World Player of the Year award (2005, 2006).[1] He has downplayed
suggestions that he is the best footballer in the world, telling FourFourTwo
magazine, "I don’t even feel I’m the best at Bar?a."[2]
Early life
Ronaldinho was born in Vila Nova, a neighborhood in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He
was the youngest of three children. Ronaldinho’s mother Miguelina is a former
salesperson who later studied to become a nurse. His father Jo?o was a shipyard
worker and footballer for Cruzeiro. The family moved to a more affluent home
in Porto Alegre when Ronaldinho’s older brother Roberto signed to play professional
football for Grêmio. Jo?o died when Ronaldinho was 8, after suffering a heart
attack while swimming in the family’s pool. Injuries ended Roberto’s career
prematurely, and he now manages Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho’s sister Deisi works
as his press coordinator.[3][4] Ronaldinho’s son, named Jo?o after his father,
was born on 25 February, 2005. Jo?o’s mother is Janaína Nattielle Viana Mendes,
a former dancer on the Brazilian television show Doming?o do Faust?o.[5]
In his childhood, Ronaldinho’s skill in football began to blossom due to his
particular interest in futsal and beach football, which later developed into
a fondness for more standardised football. His first brush with the media came
after a 23 goal flurry against a local team, at just 13 years of age.[2] His
reputation as a footballer was built up through his childhood, particularly
since he was identified as a rising star at the Egypt 1997 under-17 world championship.[6]
He scored two goals in the tournament, both penalty kicks.[7]
Club career
Grêmio
Ronaldinho’s career began in the youth team at Porto Alegre club Grêmio, under
head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who would later coach the Brazilian national
team to glory in the 2002 World Cup. His first senior appearance came in the
1998 Libertadores Cup,[8] and his penchant for goalscoring was quickly displayed,
his career soon generating interest due to his phenomenal ball control and ability
to score. This was followed by his introduction into the Brazilian national
team in 1999.
Towards the end of his career at Grêmio, in 2001, many clubs from all over
the world, particularly Premiership teams in England such as Arsenal who tried
but failed, were eager to sign him as an attempt to attain a player who was
both a "big name" and was also performing well. Despite several generous
bids from Premiership teams (who would not have been able to sign him due to
work permit restrictions) and several requests from Grêmio, Ronaldinho signed
a five-year contract with PSG, to which he moved at the beginning of the following
season.
Paris Saint-Germain
In 2001 Ronaldinho left Grêmio to play European football. Despite bids from
much larger clubs,[citation needed] he opted to play for PSG. During his time
at PSG, the manager, Luis Fernandez, claimed that Ronaldinho was too focused
on the Parisian nightlife rather than on his football, and complained that his
holidays in Brazil would always drag on and never end at the scheduled times.[8]
After the 2002 World Cup, having shown his worth on the international scene,
there was no shortage of interest from bigger clubs. In 2003, Ronaldinho made
it clear he wanted to leave PSG after they failed to qualify for any European
competitions. Ronaldinho’s desire to leave set off a bidding war among the top
European clubs (Manchester United and FC Barcelona the notable examples) for
his services.[8] The club that ended up winning the battle for his services
was FC Barcelona.
Barcelona
Ronaldinho in 2004.
Enlarge
Ronaldinho in 2004.
On July 19 2003, FC Barcelona acquired Ronaldinho for ?18 million.[8] Originally,
Barcelona chairman Joan Laporta had promised to bring David Beckham to the club,
but following his transfer to Real Madrid, Barcelona entered the running for
Ronaldinho and beat Manchester United to his signature. It was thought that
a failure on the part of the English and French clubs to agree on a fee was
the reason Manchester United’s deal fell through. Ronaldinho is also said to
have signed with Barcelona instead of Manchester United because of his friendship
with former Nike executive in Brazil and Barcelona’s then vice-president in
charge of sports, Sandro Rosell.[9] Ronaldinho’s signing with Barcelona follows
in the footsteps of a number of illustrious fellow countrymen who enjoyed successful
careers with the club, including Romário, Ronaldo and Rivaldo.
Barcelona quickly showcased the talents of their new striker in an exhibition
match against AC Milan. The match took place in front of a crowd of 45,000 at
RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Barcelona had a 1-0 lead through most of the
first half, and they increased their lead to 2-0 when Ronaldinho scored in the
51st minute. Having received a short pass from Xavi, Ronaldinho fired a shot
that spun around Fernando Redondo and into the net, landing him his first goal
for the club.
After returning from injury in the first half of the campaign, Ronaldinho continued
to justify his price tag by leading Barcelona to a second-place finish in La
Liga during the 2003-04 season. Along with Samuel Eto’o, Deco, Xavi, Ludovic
Giuly and Henrik Larsson, Ronaldinho comprised part of a strike force which
helped bring the 2004-05 La Liga title for FC Barcelona. On December 20, 2004,
Ronaldinho was named FIFA World Player of the Year ahead of Arsenal’s Thierry
Henry and AC Milan’s Andriy Shevchenko. It was then that Barcelona rejected
a ?60 million bid made for him by Chelsea F.C., according to Sandro Rosell.[8]
In March 2005, Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea
in the first knockout round. Ronaldinho scored a penalty kick and an impressive
solo goal in the 4-2 loss at Stamford Bridge.[10]
In June 2005, Rosell resigned from the Barcelona administration following a
bust-up with Joan Laporta, and it was feared that his resignation would spell
the end for Ronaldinho and Barcelona’s association as well. With Ronaldinho’s
contract running only into 2008, he was offered a contract until 2014 that would
net him ?85 million over those 9 years,[9] which he rejected. Later that year
in September, he signed a two-year extension of his original contract on with
FC Barcelona. The new contract contains a minimum fee release clause that allows
him to leave should a club make an offer to Barcelona of at least ?85 million
for him.[11]
On November 19, 2005, he scored two solo goals to help FC Barcelona to a 3–0
win over arch-rivals Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. After he
scored his second goal of the night, his team’s third, a large part of the Madrid
followers gave him a standing ovation, a rare feat which had not occurred since
Diego Maradona played for Barcelona in 1985.
In September 2005, Ronaldinho was crowned FifPro Player of the year, an award
voted for by his fellow professionals. He was also named in the FifPro team
of the year alongside the likes of Zidane and Maldini. In November 2005 Ronaldinho
was named as both the European Footballer of the Year and the best striker in
the 2004-05 Champions League. In 2005, Ronaldinho became the third Brazilian
to win the Ballon d’Or. On December 19 2005, he was again named FIFA World Player
of the Year with 956 points, more than three times the 306 points of Chelsea’s
Frank Lampard, who finished second in the poll, and the 190 points of Barcelona
teammate Samuel Eto’o who finished third. He was chosen for the UEFA team of
2005 for the third time running in January 2006.
Ronaldinho taking a corner for FC Barcelona.
Enlarge
Ronaldinho taking a corner for FC Barcelona.
On March 7, 2006, in the 2nd leg of the Champions League first knockout round
at Nou Camp, Ronaldinho avenged Barcelona’s defeat to Chelsea in the same competition
the previous year, running past the Chelsea defence to score. Although the game
ended 1-1 with Chelsea equaling through a dubious penalty in the second half
stoppage time[12][13], Barcelona progressed to the Champions League quarterfinal
on aggregate(3-2), in which they beat SL Benfica 2-0 at Nou Camp (Ronaldinho
having scored the first goal after missing an early penalty kick) after a goalless
draw at the Estádio da Luz. In the first semi-final leg, against AC Milan in
the San Siro, Ronaldinho once again proved his worth with a superb pass for
the goal volleyed in by Ludovic Giuly, which brought Barcelona a 1-0 victory.
The second leg game ended in a goalless draw despite a disallowed goal from
Andriy Shevchenko in the 70th minute. The 0-0 result with AC Milan brought Barcelona
to the 2006 Champions League Final in Paris against Arsenal F.C., who had not
conceded a goal in ten Champions League matches, a competition record.
On May 3, 2006, Barcelona were crowned 2005/2006 La Liga champions after they
beat Celta Vigo 1-0.
On May 17, 2006, Barcelona became European champions after defeating Arsenal
2-1 in the Champions League final. In this match Ronaldinho was kept relatively
subdued and the goals came from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti, who were
both assisted by Henrik Larsson. Ronaldinho finished the season with 26 goals
in all competitions, his best goalscoring tally ever. It was rumoured on the
3rd of August that Ronaldinho might move to AC Milan, but Ronaldinho denied
it. On August 24, 2006, Ronaldinho was named Champions League player of the
year for the 2005-06 season.
National team
Ronaldinho was part of the Brazil youth squad that won the 1997 FIFA U-17 World
Championship.
Ronaldinho’s goal in a friendly match against Haiti: 2004-08-19.
Enlarge
Ronaldinho’s goal in a friendly match against Haiti: 2004-08-19.
Ronaldinho debuted for the Brazilian national team on June 26, 1999 against
Latvia. In his first tournament participation he scored on an individual play
against Venezuela in the 1999 Copa América, a game that the Brazilian team won.
2002 World Cup
Ronaldinho played a part in Brazil’s successful 2002 campaign to win the World
Cup, forming the famed "3 R’s" with Ronaldo and Rivaldo. One of the
highlights of the tournament was an unconventional 30-yard free kick he scored
against England in the quarter-finals in Shizuoka. The ball lobbed over the
English keeper, who was out of position as he expected a pass into the penalty
area. He was sent off soon after for a foul on Danny Mills. Following the sending-off,
he was suspended for the semifinal, but returned to Brazil’s starting line-up
for the 2-0 victory over Germany in the final.
2005 Confederations Cup
On June 29, 2005, he played a pivotal role as the captain of the Brazilian
squad that won its second FIFA Confederations Cup title, and was named Man of
the Match in a 4–1 victory over Argentina in the final.
2006 World Cup
In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldinho was a starting player for all of Brazil’s
five matches, but his performances were considered disappointing by both fans
and commentators. He scored no goals and made only one assist (for Gilberto’s
goal in a 4-1 victory over Japan). When Brazil were eliminated by France 1-0
in the quarterfinal, he failed to make an impression.[14]
Immediately after the World Cup disappointment, the team was criticized by
many Brazilians, and vandals immolated and destroyed a 7.5-meter (23-foot) tall
fiberglass and resin statue of Ronaldinho in the Brazilian city of Chapecó.[15]
The statue had been erected in 2004 to celebrate his first election as FIFA
World Player of the Year.
Two days after the loss, Ronaldinho, joined by Adriano, returned to Barcelona
and held a party at his home, which was continued into the early morning hours
at a nightclub. This increased the feeling of Brazilian fans that they were
betrayed by the lack of effort from their national team.[16] This reaction contrasted
with other players such as Rogerio Ceni, who was ashamed of the game and said
"some defeats are marked by struggle, but we lost in an infelicitous way,
that wasn’t what we had hoped for"[17] and Zé Roberto, who cried and said
that "the unity that we had outside the pitch, lacked inside it".[18]
Business and trivia
* He is a fan of Brazilian music, and occasionally plays the drums and sings
with friends in Barcelona.
* In December 2005, Ronaldinho and Mauricio de Sousa, a famous Brazilian comic
book author, announced the creation of cartoon characters based on Ronaldinho,
his brother and his mother. In the UK, the comic is published exclusively in
children’s football magazine, KiCK!, while in Spain it is being published by
Panini Comics and in Greece by Compupress.
* Ronaldinho appears in advertising campaigns for international companies
Nike, Pepsi, and Lenovo, as well as at least eight brands in Brazil, including
Kibon.[19]
* Ronaldinho appears on the front cover of Electronic Arts games FIFA Soccer
06 and FIFA 07 along with Wayne Rooney.[20]
* He has surpassed David Beckham as the most marketable player in the world,
generating $57.8m (?30.8m) annually,[21] though still trails Beckham in estimated
yearly income.[22]
* After playing a friendly match in Stockholm, Ronaldinho received a trophy
rating him as the best Brazilian Player in history, according to a survey by
Swedish television.[1]
* Ronaldinho newly presented his new series of clothing; R10. He has created
different clothing and a new boot.