Ronaldinho Gaúcho

Ronaldinho de Assis Moreira, known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho, was born on 21 March 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The attacking midfielder and forward emerged at Grêmio, making his senior debut in 1998. In 1999, he won the Campeonato Gaúcho and scored for Brazil in the Copa América-winning squad. His dazzling close control, elastic dribbling, disguised passing, and set-piece skill made him one of football’s most recognisable entertainers. After three seasons and a prominent rapid rise with Grêmio, he left Brazil in 2001 amid a contractual dispute and joined Paris Saint-Germain, where he played under coach Luis Fernández during two uneven seasons. At PSG, Ronaldinho won the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup, but his relationship with coach Luis Fernández was strained. Barcelona signed him in July 2003 for €30 million, after the club had failed to land David Beckham. Under Frank Rijkaard, Ronaldinho transformed Barcelona’s attack. He led La Liga in assists in 2003–04, then helped Barcelona win La Liga in 2004–05 and 2005–06. In 2005 he received the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award, having also taken FIFA’s prize in 2004. Barcelona won the 2006 UEFA Champions League, defeating Arsenal in Paris in final at Stade de France. For Brazil, he was central to the team that won the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. In the quarter-final against England, his lofted free kick from the right beat goalkeeper David Seaman and gave Brazil a 2–1 victory. Brazil subsequently beat Germany 2–0 in the final. Ronaldinho had previously won the 1999 Copa América and was an important figure in Brazil’s 2005 Confederations Cup triumph. He captained Brazil at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where the team won bronze. Across 97 senior international appearances, he scored 33 goals, according to the Brazilian Football Confederation’s recorded totals officially. Ronaldinho left Barcelona for AC Milan in 2008. He won Serie A with Milan in 2010–11, finishing that season as the league’s leading assist provider. Returning to Brazil, he won 2013 Copa Libertadores with Atlético Mineiro, their first title in the competition, and scored in the final’s penalty shootout victory over Olimpia. He later played for Querétaro in Mexico and Fluminense, his last professional club. In 2015, he became the first footballer to receive more than 100 million Facebook followers. In 2020, Paraguayan authorities detained him over false passports; he was released after months. He announced retirement in January 2018.