Ronaldinho Biography

C6np...47Jd

23 Apr 2024

One of the most skillful players in the history, Ronaldinho life story is kind of fantastic, which makes everyone keen of reading his biography.
Born on 21 March 1980, Ronaldinho is a retired professional football player, who served at several hometown and European clubs during his colorful career. His family was somehow linked to football, as his father played in a local club and his older brother also was a professional player.
As everyone knows, Ronaldinho nationality is Brazilian and in 2007, he gained Spanish citizenship. Ronaldinho is not reported to be interested in politics, but in 2018, he joined the Brazilian Republican Party, which has links to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Reading the biography of this world class player will be interesting. Let’s go ahead.
Related Article: Top facts you need to know about The Legend, Ronaldinho

All You Need to Know About Ronaldinho Bio

He is labeled as one of the best players in the football history and some people call him the most skillful player of all time. As an amazing football player, Ronaldinho life story contains different chapters. He has had unbelievable legal troubles. His father’s death has shocked him in childhood; however, he did not stop in his progression and with help of his family members, achieved so many titles and awards, which are just wishes for thousands of football players all over the world.

Ronaldinho Information

As the first item on our article of Ronaldinho biography, let's see who he is in brief.
Ronaldinho Bio

Full Name: Ronaldo de Assis Moreira
Nickname: Dinho – O Rei – Ronnie
Profession: Ambassador of Barcelona - Former Professional Football Player

Ronaldinho Physical Stats

Weight: 80 Kilograms
Height: 1.81 MetersGreatest Pep Guardiola Quotes, a complete collection
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Dark Brown

Ronaldinho Football Information

Position: Attacking Midfielder – Winger
Jersey Number: 10
Professional Debut: 1999

Ronaldinho Date of Birth and Personal Info

Date of Birth: 21 March 1980
Birth Place: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Nationality: Brazilian

Ronaldinho Early Life

Ronaldinho was born in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul state, which is located in the southern region of Brazil. His mother was a salesperson who turned to be a nurse, and his father served as a shipyard welder and also a football player in a local club, named Esporte Clube Cruzeiro, not the famous Cruzeiro Esporte Clube.
Ronaldinho childhood was surrounded by football things, as he says: “I come from a family where soccer has always been very present. My uncles, my father and my brother were all players. Living with that kind of background, I learned a great deal from them. I tried to devote myself to it more and more with the passage of time.”
When Ronaldinho was only eight, something devastating happened to him. His father, and the major idol in Ronaldinho life story, passed away and did not find the opportunity to watch his son charming the world of football.
When Ronaldinho’s brother Roberto signed his first important contract at Gremio the family moved from a poor neighborhood to a big house. There was a swimming pool in that house, in which their father tragically drowned.
Roberto was the first person to discover their dad's body when he returned from training to celebrate his 18th birthday and his parents' anniversary. It was reported that their father had suffered a heart attack.
Ronaldinho, himself, says about his father: “He was one of the most important people for me and in my career, even though he died when I was very young. He gave me some of the best advice I've ever had. Off the field: 'Do the right thing and be an honest, straight-up guy.' And on the field: 'Play soccer as simply as possible.' He always said one of the most complicated things you can do is to play it simple.”
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira started to play football at youth level at 7, and that was there he got the nickname “Ronaldinho” (inho means small), as he was younger and smaller than other players.

Decentralized Finance (DeFi): Prospects and Challenges

Top Tips For Responsible Gambling

Sheffield United’s Race for Survival
Related Article: Premier League Best Managers of 2020

Ronaldinho Profile

In this part of Ronaldinho biography, we review his career, which started in the Grêmio youth team. He made his senior side debut during the 1998 Copa Libertadores. The next year saw the breakthrough of Ronaldinho, while he was just 18 years old. He scored 22 goals in 47 matches of 1999, and his performances in derbies against Internacional grabbed all of the attentions. Ronaldinho achieved further success with Grêmio, winning the inaugural Copa Sul.
In 2001, Arsenal was close to sign Ronaldinho, but a strange reason cancelled this deal. As Ronaldinho was a non-EU player who had not played enough international matches for his country, he could not obtain a work permit in England.
Finally, in 2001, Paris Saint-Germain succeeded to bring the Brazilian youngster to Europe. They signed a five-year contract with Ronaldinho and paid €5 million to complete his transfer. Starting the new chapter as an alternate player, Ronaldinho gradually found his place among the starter players. He made his mark and led the team to the Coupe de la Ligue semi-finals, besides scoring some important goals in the League1. However, Ronaldinho’s nightlife and lengthy holidays, caused the coach dissatisfaction and a controversy with him.
The second season at Paris Saint-Germain saw Ronaldinho shine again and score vital goals, such as in both home and away Classique matches against Marseille. He also helped the Parisians reach the Coupe de France finals. However, finishing in the 11th place in the league and failing to qualify for any European competition, Ronaldinho announced that he wanted to leave the club.

Newly elected FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta stated, “I said we would lead Barça to the forefront of the footballing world, and for that to occur we had to sign one of these three players, David Beckham, Thierry Henry or Ronaldinho”. Among these players, Barcelona managed to sign Ronaldinho in a €30 million deal.
Ronaldinho was applauded from his first matches in the Barcelona shirt. His 15 La Liga goals helped Barcelona settle in the second place of the league standing at the end of the season. In his second season at Camp Nou, Ronaldinho finally won his first league title. During the season, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and added his own name to the list of elite players who have won this valuable award.
Barcelona captain, Carles Puyol said of him: “The greatest compliment I could give him is that he's given Barcelona our spirit back. He has made us smile again.” In September 2005, he signed a two-year extension that contained a minimum-fee release clause that allowed him to leave just with an offer of at least £85 million.
During his third season with Barcelona, Ronaldinho won several individual awards like the Ballon d’Or. One of his memorable nights that season was when he scored twice as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3–0 on the road in the first leg of El Clásico. After his second goal, Madrid fans applauded his performance. Ronaldinho stated, “I will never forget this because it is very rare for any footballer to be applauded in this way by the opposition fans.”
The 2005-06 season finished for Barca and Ronaldinho with a UEFA Champions League triumph. The Brazilian’s next two seasons at Barcelona did not contain such notable honors.

He moved to AC Milan in 2008 and selected the number 80 jersey for himself. In his first Milan derby, Ronaldinho scored the winning goal against Inter. In the 2009-10 season, Ronaldinho was arguably the best player of his team, while he was put on the left wing again. He recorded a brace against Juventus and a hat-trick against Siena. Moreover, his assists throughout the season made him the assist leader of Serie A.
In the 2010-11 season which saw AC Milan win the Serie A title, Ronaldinho was member of the team just in the first half of the season. However, he was eligible for the winner’s medal.

After Milan, he moved to his home country side Flamengo. Then, he joined Atlético Mineiro, where they won the Copa Libertadores in 2013 edition. He was continuing to be productive and also win individual awards as well.
A shocking destination for Ronaldinho was the Mexican club Querétaro. Like PSG, Ronaldinho did not win anything with his Mexican team.
In July 2015, Ronaldinho returned to Brazil and signed an 18-month contract with Fluminense, but inSeptember, he reached a mutual agreement with the club to terminate the deal, after playing just nine matches.

At international level, Ronaldinho was the same brilliant diamond among great Brazilian players. In 1997, Ronaldinho was part of the Brazilian team that won the FIFA U-17 World Championship. He won the Bronze Ball of the tournament. Ronaldinho Gaucho won his first cap for Brazil in a 3–0 win over Latvia, just three days before the start of the 1999 Copa América.
After winning the Copa América title, he was called up for the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which he scored in every match except the final, including a hat-trick in an 8–2 semi-final rout of Saudi Arabia. Ronaldinho won the Gold Ball of that tournament.
Finally, the most victorious days of Ronaldinho career at international level came in the east of Asia, where he won the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Ronaldinho played in the 2006 edition of the tournament, but missed the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

Style of Play

Ronaldinho’s playing style was all about skill. He was a popular player to everyone, thanks to his pure technique and amazing dribbling skills. He is known as one of the most skillful players of his era and also the whole of football history. However, his ability was not limited to only dribbling.
Ronaldinho introduced himself as a player with different great abilities such as scoring goals, Since, he was a desirable choice for coaches to play in several offensive positions, like on wings or in the attacking midfielder position.Alongside finishing, Ronaldinho had a specific ability in vision, which led to precise and outstanding passes from him.

Reception

There are plenty of quotes from football players, coaches and journalists which describe Ronaldinho’s reception in the sport. He had made a kind of dribble his own, moving the ball in two opposite directions immediately with only one foot. Zlatan Ibrahimović staid about him: “Prime Ronaldinho was phenomenal. He made his opponents look like children”.
Former Portugal and AC Milan midfielder Rui Costa has said of Ronaldinho’s vision and passing ability: “There are not many players who can offer goal-scoring passes like he can. He is just marvelous. He is a rare case of an assist man who can provide the ball from anywhere.”
In 2010, his former Barcelona teammate, Edgar Davids, said: “For the skills and tricks, Ronaldinho was the best player that I ever played with.” Henrik Larsson, another one of his former Barcelona teammates, agreed to this view. His compatriot Willian named him the greatest player of all time in 2019, while Juninho branded him as the most skillful player he had ever seen.
In 2019, FourFourTwo magazine described Ronaldinho as “possibly the best technician in the history of football in Brazil,” placing him at the fifth place in their list of "The 101 greatest football players of the last 25 years." In 2006, Richard Williams of The Guardian described Ronaldinho as a "genius." His former compatriot and Barcelona teammate Sylvinho said of him: “He's so smart, so intelligent, that sometimes it's difficult to read his mind. He's amazing. He's 100% talent. And he's a powerful player as well, so it's difficult to stop him.”

Goal Celebration

Being a completely special man in the world of football, Ronaldo de Assis Moreira had his own specific kind of celebration after scoring goals. He had a famous hand gesture, waving both arms and moving the little finger and thumb of his both hands.
Related Article: Greatest Jurgen Klopp Quotes, a complete collection

Ronaldinho Outside Football

As a famous and popular player, it was natural that many companies wish for his endorsement. He has had some with several companies, including Nike, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, EA Sports, Gatorade and Danone.
In 2006, Ronaldinho Gaucho earned over $19 million just from endorsements. Football fans remember him appearing in Pepsi commercials with David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi. Ronaldinho also signed a deal with Coca-Cola in 2011, which was terminated in July 2012 after he was seen drinking Pepsi in a news conference.
Ronaldinho has appeared in different Nike commercials, as he had signed a 10-year deal with this sportswear company in his career’s first years. His 2005 Nike advertisement went viral on YouTube, becoming the site's first video to reach one million views. In that video, he was given a new pair of Nike boots and repeatedly volleyed it against the crossbar and recovered the ball before touching the ground.
In February 2017, Barcelona announced that Ronaldinho signed a 10-year deal to become an ambassador for the club at institutional events.
Related Article: Best Strikers in Premier League History

Ronaldinho Personal Life

In this part of Ronaldinho biography, we take a look at his personal life. It is interesting for you to know Ronaldinho’s favorite food is Feijoada which is cooked by his mother. He likes basketball after football among sports. While he follows English songs, Ronaldinho’s favorite singer is Jorge Aragao.
The World Cup winner prefers Pro Evolution Soccer in the case of video games, and his football idols have been Rivelino, Romario, Diego Maradona, Ronaldo, and Rivaldo. He does not appear to have an interest in the politics. Additionally, we should also note that Ronaldinho religion is Catholic. There are many snapped pictures from him, praying before the games.

Family, Children and Relationships

Ronaldinho’s mother, Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos, is a former salesperson who studied to become a nurse. His father, João de Assis Moreira, was a shipyard worker and footballer for local club. When Ronaldinho was eight, his father passed away. Ronaldinho has two siblings: his brother Roberto, and his sister Deisi.
There is a history describing Ronaldinho’s dating with different girls around the world. He dated Janaina Nattielle Mendes, a well-known dancer, for a while before getting married to her in 2004. Their marriage lasted for 3 years as the couple announced its split in 2007. Ronaldinho also has a 15-year-old son with Janaina Nattielle Mendes, named Joao Mendes.
Lisa Collins and Ximena Capristo were two others in the list of his girlfriends. Ronaldinho was in a relationship with Alexandra Paressant, a French model, between 2006 and 2008. Later, He dated Sara Tommasi between 2010 and 2011, This famous Italian TV celebrity was rumored to be dating Mario Balotelli. Priscilla Coelho and Beatriz Souza were the two names, whom Ronaldinho dated.
In 2018, there were some reports which said Ronaldinho wants to marry both of them at the same time. It is reported that Ronaldinho is now continuing his relationship with Beatriz Souza.

Philanthropy

Since 2011, Ronaldinho has been an ambassador for UNAIDS, a United Nations program which promotes AIDS and HIV awareness throughout the world. Ronaldinho’s role in the organization is to target young people who look up to the athlete. He has not hidden his happiness from receiving the invitation to join this organization.
He said: “I am delighted to make a small contribution to this important cause by doing what I do best: playing football.”
Moreover, Ronaldinho has had an official role with UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, since February 2006.
Ronaldinho, alongside Portugal icon Luis Figo, has taken part in the 'Match for Solidarity' on the banks of Lake Geneva in a game arranged "in the name of peace, human rights and well-being".

Legal Issues

In July 2019, dozens of Ronaldinho properties, and both of his Brazilian and Spanish passports were confiscated because of unpaid taxes and fines. Eventually, the judge decided to reduce the fine from R$8.5 million to R$6 million for building a fishing platform on Guaíba River in a 'heritage-protected' area. AS Ronaldinho and his brother failed to pay the fines even within the certain time, their passports were suspended.
In March 2020, Ronaldinho was questioned by Paraguay police after using a fake passport while entering the country. Ronaldinho and his brother both were arrested in Paraguay. While in prison, he competed in a prison futsal tournament, where his team became champion.

They won 11–2 in the finals, with Ronaldinho scoring 5 goals and assisting the other 6. Finally, On 24 August 2020, Ronaldinho and his brother were released from Paraguayan prison after their judge agreed to a plea deal with fines of US$90,000 and US$110,000 for Ronaldinho and Roberto, respectively.

Ronaldinho Career Statistics

In this part of Ronaldinho biography, let us take a look at career statistics of this world class player, both in club and international levels.

Club

Let’s start with Gremio. At his first club, Ronaldinho spent more than three years. The 2000 season was the best of him, as he scored 28 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions. In total, Ronaldinho played 125 times in Gremio shirt and managed to score 58 goals, a good tally for such a young player. In his first European experience, Ronaldinho made 77 appearances at PSG and scored 25 times. He scored in every single competition in PSG shirt.
Ronaldinho’s golden era at Barcelona spent with 207 appearances and 94 goals, many of them are remembered. The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner played 95 matches in all competitions for AC Milan, where he managed to score 26 goals. At Flamengo and Atletico Mineiro, he played smaller number of matches than Milan, but scored more goals. He scored 28 times in 72 appearances for Flamengo and 27 goals in 85 matches in Mineiro.
The stint at Mexican club Queretaro saw Ronaldinho score 8 goals in 29 matches. Finally, at Fluminense, he just played nine times and could not score any goals.

International

Having previously scored at U17, U20, and U23 levels, Ronaldinho managed to score 33 times in 97 senior Brazil caps he made during a period of 15 years.
Related Article: From Poverty to Power: Top Footballers Who Started with Nothing

Ronaldinho Honors

The most notable honors won by Ronaldinho at club level have came to him since the Barcelona era. He won two La Liga titles and a UEFA Champions League trophy with Barcelona, alongside two titles of Supercopa de Espana. Then at AC Milan, Ronaldinho was part of the Serie A winning team in 2010-11 season. With Atletico Mineiro, he won the 2013 Copa Libertadores and the 2014 Recopa Sudamericana.
At international level, Ronaldinho won a single edition of each FIFA World Cup, Copa America, and FIFA Confederations Cup. He has collected an Olympic Bronze medal in 2008.

In case of individual honors, we may need a separate article to mention all of Ronaldinho’s awards. Here you can see just some of them:

FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2002
Don Balón Award: 2003–04, 2005–06
FIFA World Player of the Year: 2004, 2005
World Soccer Magazine World Player of The Year: 2004, 2005
Ballon d'Or: 2005
Onze d'Or: 2005
FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2005, 2006
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2005–06
FIFA World Player of the Year Bronze award: 2006
South American Footballer of the Year: 2013
Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame
A.C. Milan Hall of Fame
Ballon d'Or Dream Team (Silver): 2020

Sportmob always tries to provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate articles, however, it is always you, the punctual readers who help us get better. What else do you think should be added to the points of Ronaldinho biography