BY YANG MEI LING
Ronaldinho was born Ronaldo de Assis Moreira on March 21, 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. As a footballer, he is known as Ronaldinho Gaucho because he originated from the Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil. In Portuguese, Ronaldinho means "little Ronaldo," and the initial plan was to distinguish him from fellow Brazilian footballer Ronaldo. Coming from a family who plays football, Ronaldinho first made his mark as champion Brazil's top-scorer in the under-17 World Championships in 1997.
His career began in the youth team at Porto Alegre club Gremio in 1998, where he trained under Luiz Felipe Scolari, who led the national team of Brazil to glory in the 2002 World Cup. Ronaldinho's first senior appearance came in Libertadores Cup 1998 where his penchant for scoring goals was quickly displayed, and his career generated much interest because of his phenomenal ball control and scoring ability.
In 1999, Ronaldinho joined Brazil's national team. Towards the end of his career at Gremio, many clubs were eager to sign him up, particularly the Premiership teams in England. Despite generous offers, Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and moved there the following season. After Brazil's successful 2002 World Cup campaign, there was no shortage of interest from bigger parties.
In 2003, Ronaldinho set off a bidding war among the top clubs. On July 19th, FC Barcelona snapped him up for £18 million. Initially, David Beckham was the next player to be brought in, but with his transfer to Real Madrid, Barcelona entered the running for Ronaldinho and won against Manchester United. In March 2004, Pele included Ronaldinho in his "125 Top Living Footballers" list. On December 20th, 2004 he was named FIFA World Player of the Year?, and Barcelona rejected a £60 million bid for him by Chelsea. Ronaldinho netted £85 million when he extended his contract till 2010.
June 29th, 2005 saw Ronaldinho spearheading his Brazilian squad to win its second FIFA Cup, where he was also named Man of the Match. On November 19th that same year, he scored two solo goals to win a stunning 3-0 over archrivals Real Madrid. With his second goal of the night, the crowd gave him a standing ovation that never has happened since Diego Maradona's time. Ronaldinho was named Best Striker in the UEFA Champions League tournament of 2004/2005 and became the third Brazilian to win the European Footballer of the Year Award. On December 19, 2005, he was also named FIFA World Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. With his powerful skill, Barcelona was crowned 2005/2006 La Liga champions on May 3, 2006.
Despite all the hype, Ronaldinho remains an easygoing lad who lives with his mother Miguelina and two dogs, Bola and Negrao. "I don't even feel I'm the best at Barca," he humbly says. "For me, the most important thing is to be a happy person with friends. I respect everybody who's out there and I'm very happy with the way my life is now." The large diamond-studded "R-10" pendant that sometimes hangs on his neck isn't exactly his everyday costume jewelry. "No, no, I can't play with this on," he laughs. "The referees won't allow it." In Germany, he will wear the No. 10 jersey, an honour that belonged to Pele and was last worn by Rivaldo.
Nike is one of Ronaldinho's commercial backers, a brand he has a lucrative 10-year endorsement deal with. Ronaldinho's trademark moves and famous grin are captured in a Nike spot that made its debut on March 29 during American Idol that featured a footage of him today and as an 8-year-old repeatedly kicking a ball at the crossbar that it comes right back to him. With his appeal, the commercial and video have been downloaded more than 3.5 million times.
As the World Cup kicks off, the spotlight beckons for the midfielder. Like a magician who is about to delight millions of people around the world, Ronaldinho is all set to light up the pitch and charge his team to glory. |
