Ronaldinho

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, born on 21 March 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, is better known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho or simply Ronaldinho. He plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for Ravenna in Italy’s Serie C. Considered one of football’s all-time greats, he claimed the Ballon d’Or, two FIFA World Player of the Year awards, and was named FIFPro Player of the Season twice. He stands alone as the only footballer to have won a World Cup, a Copa América, a Confederations Cup, a Champions League, a Copa Libertadores, and a Ballon d’Or. Famous worldwide, Ronaldinho was celebrated for his dribbling, free-kick accuracy, tricks, feints, passing, and his knack for both scoring and setting up goals. Nicknamed “O Bruxo” (The Wizard), he ranked among the most valuable sports figures of his era.

Ronaldinho started his professional career at Grêmio in 1998. At age 20, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain in France, becoming a key player and helping the club reach the 2003 Coupe de France final. He signed for Barcelona in 2003, where he hit his peak. He earned his first FIFA World Player of the Year award as Barcelona won the 2004–05 La Liga title. The next season, he was crucial to the team’s double of La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. He received the 2005 Ballon d’Or and a second World Player of the Year award. These achievements are widely seen as reviving Barcelona in the early 2000s.

Although Barcelona won no major trophies in 2006–07, Ronaldinho had his most prolific league campaign, scoring a career-high 21 goals. After a drop in form and fitness the following season, Barcelona sold him to AC Milan in 2008. In his second season there, he returned to top form, leading Serie A with 15 assists, and later helped Milan win the 2010–11 Serie A title. He returned to Brazil to play for Flamengo in 2011, then Atlético Mineiro a year later, where he won the 2013 Copa Libertadores. He moved to Mexico’s Querétaro, then back to Brazil for Fluminense in 2015. In 2026, he came out of retirement to join Ravenna.

Ronaldinho earned many individual honors: he made the UEFA Team of the Year and the FIFA World XI three times each, was named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year for 2005–06, and South American Footballer of the Year in 2013. In 2004, Pelé included him in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players. In 2009, World Soccer magazine voted him World Player of the Decade for the 2000s.

For Brazil, Ronaldinho earned 97 caps and scored 33 goals, playing in two FIFA World Cups. He debuted for the Seleção by winning the 1999 Copa América, then was a key part of the 2002 World Cup-winning team, forming an attacking trio with Ronaldo and Rivaldo, and was named to the World Cup All-Star Team. He captained Brazil to the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup title and was man of the match in the final. He also captained the Olympic team to a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.