Football, also known as soccer, can be played with only three items. Ronaldinho, a highly skilled soccer player, has had an interesting early life and continues to achieve numerous accomplishments in his successful career. Born on March 21, 1980, in Porto Alegia, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Ronaldinho was originally named Ronaldo De Assis Moreira. His mother, Dona Miguelina Eloi Assis dos Santos, worked as a salesperson while studying nursing.
Ronaldinho’s father, Joao de Assis Moreira, not only worked at a shipyard but also played soccer at Esporte Clube Cruzeiro. Unfortunately, Ronaldinho’s father passed away from a heart attack in the family swimming pool when Ronaldinho was just 8 years old.
At the age of thirteen, Ronaldinho gained media attention with an outstanding performance: he scored 23 goals in a remarkable 23-0 victory against a local team. He started his professional soccer career with Gremio and made his debut in the 1998 Copa Libertadores.
Additionally, Ronaldinho represented Brazil’s under 17 National team and played an important role in their success at the FIFA U-17 World Championship in 1997. His first goal for Brazil came from converting a penalty kick during an impressive 7-0 win over Austria.
Ronaldinho scored two goals and was awarded the Bronze Ball as Brazil scored a total of 21 goals while only letting in 2. Before playing for renowned teams like Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, AC Milan, and Flamengo, Ronaldinho started his career with Gremio and the U-17 Brazil National team. He initially played for Paris Saint-Germain wearing the number 21 jersey. On August 4th, 2001, he made his debut as a substitute in a match against Auxerre which ended in a 1-1 draw. His first goal came on October 13th, 2001, in another draw against Lyon with a score of 2-2.
After joining the game 10 minutes earlier, he scored the equalizing goal in the 79th minute. Upon his return from the winter break, he scored in four consecutive games. Two goals against Troyes on March 21st, 2002 were achieved by him. PSG’s last goal of the season occurred in their 2-0 triumph over Metz on April 27th.
Thanks to Ronaldinho’s contribution, PSG reached the semi-finals of the Copa de la Ligue but unfortunately got eliminated by Bordeaux. Despite achieving success with Paris Saint-Germain, PSG manager Luis Fernandes criticized Ronaldinho for prioritizing the Parisian nightlife rather than soccer.
Ronaldinho rejoined PSG in the 2002-03 season, donning the number ten jersey. On October 26th, 2002, he netted two goals against Marseille. Despite a total of 8 goals scored that season by Ronaldinho, PSG ended up finishing in 11th place. Following the conclusion of the season, Ronaldinho expressed his intention to depart and join a more formidable European club. Consequently, Barcelona outbid Manchester United with a hefty sum of 30 million Euros to secure his signature. He made his inaugural appearance for Barcelona versus AC Milan and found the back of the net in their triumphant 2-0 victory.
Despite being injured, Ronaldinho played a crucial role in leading Barcelona to a second-place finish and securing his first league title in the 2004-05 season. On March 8th, 2005, Barcelona was eliminated by Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round with a final score of 4-2. In this match, Ronaldinho scored both goals for Barcelona. In January 2006, Ronaldinho was chosen for the UEFA Team of the Year for the third consecutive time. Moreover, during the quarterfinals of the 2005-06 Champions League, Barcelona defeated Benefica with a scoreline of 2-0, and Ronaldinho contributed one of those goals.
Barcelona triumphed in the semi finals against AC Milan, securing a 1-0 victory thanks to Ronaldinho’s assist to Ludovic Giuly for their sole goal. They maintained their winning streak by defeating Arsenal 2-1 in the Champions League final on May 17, 2006.
Later on November 25th, Ronaldinho achieved his 50th goal against Villarreal and also scored another goal during that match. In January 2007, he received an impressive number of nominations (290 thousand) and was selected for the UEFA Team of the Year.
In February 3rd, 2008, Ronaldinho achieved his 200th match for Barcelona against Osasuna. Regrettably, on April 3rd, he suffered a muscle tear that ended his season early. Despite being offered €25.5 million by Manchester City, Ronaldinho opted to join AC Milan in July 2008 and received an annual salary of €5.1 million. Since the number 10 jersey was already taken, he decided to wear number 80 instead. On September 28th, 2008, he scored his first goal for AC Milan in a match against their rivals Internazionale. Additionally, during the UEFA Cup group stage on November6th, Ronaldinho secured a game-winning goal in the final minutes (93rd minute) against Braga.
Despite encountering fitness issues and frequently being a substitute, Ronaldinho finished his first season with AC Milan by scoring 10 goals in 32 games. In the next season, he initially faced challenges and was often benched. However, he eventually regained his form and became AC Milan’s standout player of the season. He transitioned from playing as an attacking midfielder to excelling on the left wing. On January 10th, 2010, Ronaldinho scored two goals in an away game against Juventus, leading to a convincing 3-0 win.
Ronaldinho scored his first hat-trick for AC Milan against Siena on January 17th, 2010. He later joined Flamengo on January 11th, 2011 and scored his inaugural goal for the team in a 3-2 triumph over Boavista on February 6th of the same year. In their initial trophy victory, Ronaldinho secured a win against Boavista with a goal on February 27th, 2011, earning them the Taca Guanabara. Despite trailing by three goals in the first half-hour, Ronaldinho remarkably achieved his first hat-trick for Flamengo during an away victory against rivals Santos on July 27th, 2011.
Ronaldinho had a highly successful career with multiple teams, winning numerous awards and championships. He achieved various individual accolades, like the Player of the Year award and triumphing in the FIFA World Cup. In 1999, Ronaldinho proudly received two individual awards and two championships: the Best Player of the Year in the Rio Grande do Sul Championship along with an impressive total of 15 goals in that same tournament. Additionally, he emerged victorious in both the Rio Grande do Sul Championship and Copa Sul Championship during that year. In 2000, Ronaldinho’s accomplishments included receiving the Silver Ball from Placar Magazine.
During the early stages of Ronaldinho’s career, he only managed to win one championship in 2001 – the UEFA Intertoto Cup. However, from the 2004-6 season onwards, his success soared as he clinched an impressive total of 11 awards and championships, which included prestigious player of the year honors. Moreover, in the period spanning 2009-10, Ronaldinho was honored with three highly esteemed accolades: the Golden foot award, World Soccer Player of the Decade title, and a spot on The Sun newspaper’s World Team of the Decade. These achievements firmly establish Ronaldinho as one of soccer’s elite players worldwide.
