FIFA World Cup™ Germany 2006 player's profile

Despite being blessed with breathtaking skill and almost supernatural ball control, the endearingly-modest Ronaldinho Gaucho still blushes when he is mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Zico or Pele. He may not pursue the kind of legendary status afforded to Brazilian greats Garrincha, Didi or Vava, but with each passing game the feeling grows that Ronaldinho could become one of the finest players the world has ever seen.
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, better known as Ronaldinho, was born on 21 March 1980 in the Restinga district of Porto Alegre, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. At the age of seven, older brother Roberto Assis, a professional at local side Gremio Porto Alegre, took the talented youngster to join his club’s youth set-up. The Barcelona star has never forgotten his sibling’s help in getting him where he is today. “My biggest hero is my brother. He’s a shining example as a father, a brother and a footballer.”

Eight years on, Ronaldinho received his first call-up for the Brazilian national team’s junior side, and two years later he was a member of the team that won the FIFA U-17 World Championship in Egypt.

The Brazilian maestro turned professional in 1998, celebrating his first contract by helping Gremio to a 1-0 win over Rio de Janeiro side Vasco de Gama.

It would be another year before ‘Ronnie’ caught the eye of the world’s footballing elite. In 1999, having top-scored in his side’s State Championship win, Ronaldinho made his official debut for the Seleção in a friendly against Latvia. During that year’s Copa America, the fleet-footed forward gave a tantalising glimpse of what was to come with a wonder goal in Brazil’s 7-0 rout of Venezuela.

Namesake Ronaldo
It was around that time, as Ronaldinho’s career began to take off, that he was christened with the surname Gaucho, used to describe people from the Rio Grande do Sul region, in order to avoid confusion with the other Ronaldo, still known by many Brazilians as Ronaldinho. Nowadays, the pair’s fame has reached such levels that such a distinction is no longer necessary.

In 2001, the rising star moved from Gremio to French side Paris Saint-Germain, though not without a protracted transfer wrangle between the parties involved. The move was completed in time for Ronaldinho to seal a place in the Auriverde squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™, where he played a vital role in Brazil’s success.

In the aftermath of his country’s record fifth FIFA World Cup win, Ronaldinho returned to PSG, although not for very long. Despite speculation linking him with both Manchester United and Real Madrid, he ended up at Catalan giants Barcelona, who forked out a club-record €30m for his signature.

The FIFA World Cup winner arrived at Barça in time for the 2003/04 campaign when, after a rocky start to the season, a Ronaldinho-inspired revival saw Barcelona clinch second place behind Valencia. In 2005, the attacker reaffirmed his hero status in the eyes of the Azulgrana supporters with nine league goals and umpteen assists in his side’s 17th Primera Liga title win, their first since 1998/99.

Currently one of the most famous faces in world football, Ronaldinho has amassed an admirable collection of individual awards in a relatively short space of time. In 2005 he was presented with France Football magazine’s Golden Ball, awarded to the European Player of the Year, before crowning an amazing 12 months with his second consecutive FIFA World Player of the Year award.

Technically brilliant and a wonderful dribbler, Ronaldinho is an automatic choice in Carlos Alberto Parreira’s Brazil side at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Despite all his success, Ronaldinho admits: “I used to be always thinking about bizarre things, I was a real dreamer. During the World Cup in 1994, I watched Romario smile and thought: ‘I want to look like that.’ Later on, when Ronaldo was voted the best player in the world, I wanted to be just like him…” The charismatic Brazilian’s words are proof of one thing: Dreams do sometimes come true.

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UEFA Champions League 2005-06 player's profile

One of the world's most dangerous and exciting players, Ronaldinho is equally proficient at creating chances or finishing, can play anywhere up front and is deadly from free-kicks.

National team
Brilliant at the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1997 and top scorer in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, the Brazilian helped his country squeeze narrowly into the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals. In Korea/Japan he was exceptional, scoring against China and the quarter-final winner against England to help his country to a record fifth World Cup triumph. Although he sat out the 2004 Copa América, he is a vital component in their 2006 World Cup campaign, and scored in the 2005 Confederations Cup final as Brazil defeated Argentina 4-1.

Club
Beginning his career with Grêmio Football Porto Alegrense in his homeland, the buck-toothed playmaker appeared in 36 league games over four years, scoring 13 times before making a controversial transfer to French side Paris Saint-Germain FC in 2001.

2002: Although his time in Paris was not successful in terms of trophies, Ronaldinho was the outstanding player in an average PSG team, scoring 17 times in more than 50 league games over two seasons in the French capital.

2003: Ronaldinho became FC Barcelona's record signing in July when he agreed a €30m move after a protracted transfer saga. The Catalan club's hefty investment was amply rewarded, however, as the Brazilian scored 22 times in his first season to help Barça to second place in the Primera Divisón. He signed an improved contract in summer 2004, increasing his buy-out clause to a reported €150m.

2004/05: He was voted FIFA Player of the Year and delighted spectators in the UEFA Champions League: his jaw-dropping, last-gasp winner against AC Milan in the group stage was only surpassed by a seemingly impossible strike in the return leg against Chelsea FC on 8 March but Barça lost the tie 5-4 on aggregate. Consolation came in the form of the Spanish title.

Did you know?
While filming a television commercial in March 2004, Ronaldinho broke a window in the 12th century cathedral Santiago de Compostela.

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