Ronaldinho

Lore & Background

Ronaldinho made his career debut for Grêmio in 1998. Aged 20, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain in France, where he established himself as one of the club's key players and helped them reach the 2003 Coupe de France final. In 2003, he signed for Barcelona, where he experienced his prime years, winning his first FIFA World Player of the Year award as Barcelona won the 2004–05 La Liga title. In the season that followed, he was integral to Barcelona achieving a double of the La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles. Ronaldinho received the 2005 Ballon d'Or and his second World Player of the Year in the process. Due to these successes, he is widely credited with elevating Barcelona in the early 2000s. Despite Barcelona winning no major trophies in 2006–07, Ronaldinho enjoyed his most prolific league season, scoring a career-best 21 goals. After a decline in form and fitness the following season, Barcelona sold him to AC Milan in 2008. In his second season, Ronaldinho rediscovered his best form, registering a league-high 15 assists in Serie A, before being involved in the team's 2010–11 Serie A title win. 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. In 2026, he came out of retirement to play for Ravenna.

In Their Own Story

The ball settled on Ronaldinho's boot, not with a thud, but with a rhythmic whisper against the leather. He didn't sprint; he glided, his eyes scanning the pitch's geometry rather than just the defenders. With a sudden, deceptive drop of his shoulder, he left a defender grasping at empty air. Then came the impossible: a no-look backheel that defied gravity, sending the ball arcing over the outstretched fingers of the goalkeeper and dipping into the net as if pulled by an invisible string. Before the net even rippled, Ronaldinho was already turning, arms wide and a grin splitting his face, inviting the stadium to erupt in a celebration that felt less like a goal and more like a miracle.

Reader's Guide

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 2009, World Soccer magazine voted him World Player of the Decade 2000s. In his international career with Brazil, Ronaldinho earned 97 caps, scored 33 goals, and represented them in two FIFA World Cups. After debuting with the Seleção by winning the 1999 Copa América, he was an integral player in the 2002 World Cup winning team, positioned alongside Ronaldo and Rivaldo in an attacking trio, and was named in the World Cup All-Star Team. He captained 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.

Did You Know?

• Ronaldinho was born on 21 March 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
• His father died when Ronaldinho was eight years old.
• He scored all 23 goals in a 23–0 victory at age 13.
• He is the only player to have won a World Cup, Copa América, Confederations Cup, Champions League, Copa Libertadores, and Ballon d'Or.
• His nickname 'Ronaldinho' means 'little Ronaldo' and was given because he was often the youngest and smallest player.