1. Position: Ronaldinho’s main positions on the pitch was attack or attacking midfield
2. Technology: Technically, he was best known for his superior skills, tricks, dribbling, headers and free kicks. Despite his lack of performances at the 2006 World Cup, he is still considered by many to be one of the greatest footballers of his generation
3. Career: He described his career as “an emotional rollercoaster, full of high highs and low lows and a lifetime of unforgettable moments”
4. Attack trio: When Brazil won the World Cup in 2002, Ronaldinho was part of the famous attacking trio – Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo – that is now legendary in Brazilian football
5. Pricing: He was named FIFA’s Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 and won the Ballon d’Or in 2005. He also won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball in the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1999
6. Awards: He is on the FIFA 100 list and was in the FIFPro World XI every year from 2004-2007
7. Youtube: Ronaldinho’s Nike commercial on Youtube in 2005 became the first video ever to reach 1 million views
8. Citizenship: He became a Spanish citizen in January 2007
9. Characteristics: He almost always wore a black ribbon around his hair, which became his trademark
10. AIDS: In 2011, he joined forces with the UN to educate the public about AIDS. In 2013, he launched his own condom brand called ‘Sex Free’

Fact: Ronaldinho is on the FIFA 100 list and has also been included in the FIFPro World XI every year from 2004-2007

 

Facts about Ronaldinho’s background

• Name: Ronaldinho’s full name is Ronaldo de Assis Moreira. He was nicknamed ‘Ronaldinho’ as a child
• Birth: He was born on March 21, 1980, in the city of Porto Alegre, the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He has two siblings: a brother and a sister
• Mother: His mother, Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos, worked as a cosmetics saleswoman and later became a nurse
• Far: His father, João de Assis Moreira, worked as a welder in a shipyard and played for local football club Esporte Clube Cruzeiro. He died of a heart attack in the family swimming pool when Ronaldinho was 8 years old. His father is a great role model for Ronaldinho
• Big brother: His older brother, Roberto, signed a contract with football club Grêmio after his father’s death, giving the family better finances and the opportunity to move to a better neighborhood in his hometown of Porto Alegre. However, his older brother’s career ended quickly due to injury
• Siblings: Roberto currently works as Ronaldinho’s manager and his sister, Deisi, works as his press coordinator
• Kids: Ronaldinho became a father on February 25 when his girlfriend Janaína N. V. Mendes gave birth to their son. The boy is named ‘João’ after his grandfather

Fact: Ronaldinho was born on March 21, 1980 in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre

 

Ronaldinho’s football career

• Football family: From the moment Ronaldinho was born, he has been surrounded by football, as everyone – father, brother and uncles – played football
• Start: Ronaldinho’s football skills began to blossom when he was 8 years old. He earned the nickname Ronaldinho because he was often the youngest and smallest player in youth club matches. In the national team, there was also Ronaldo, who was older, which again justified the nickname
• Indoor football: He started playing indoor soccer and beach soccer. According to Ronaldinho, indoor soccer in particular has influenced his style of play (especially his ball control)
• 23-0: At 13 years old, his club won a match 23-0 – and all the goals were scored by Ronaldinho!
• Grêmio: His adult career started at club Grêmio in 1998. He played there until the year 2000
• Paris Saint-German: In 2001, he left Brazil to play for French team Paris Saint-German, where he stayed until 2003
• WORLD CUP 2002: He was an essential part of the Brazilian national team when they won the World Cup in 2002
• F.C. Barcelona: In the period 2003-2008 he played for Spanish club F.C. Barcelona. Barcelona, which had been a lifelong dream of his. The years at F.C. Barcelona were generally marked by success, but ended in disappointment when France knocked Brazil out of the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup
• WORLD CUP 2006: During the 2006 World Cup, Ronaldinho didn’t score a single goal and the rest of the Brazilian national team also failed miserably
• A.C. Milan: In the years 2008-2010 he played for the Italian club A.C. Milan. Milan, where he did not perform as expected
• WORLD CUP 2010: Although Ronaldinho wanted to play, he was not selected for the national team by coach Dunga for the 2010 World Cup. This was partly due to the disappointing performance of A.C. Milan
• Flamengo: In 2010 he returned to Brazil, where he played for the club Flamengo until 2012, winning the Campeonato Carioca league shortly after joining. However, Ronaldinho had some disciplinary problems and played a bit unstable and ended up leaving the club
• Atlético Mineiro: In 2012, he signed a contract with the club Atlético Mineiro, which gave his game a new lease of life and a second chance at the 2014 World Cup. However, he did not make the national team in the 2014 World Cup