Ronaldinho

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁonawˈdʒĩɲu ɡaˈuʃu]) or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d'Or. He is the only player ever to have won a World Cup, a Copa América, a Confederations Cup, a Champions League, a Copa Libertadores and a Ballon d'Or. A global icon of the sport, Ronaldinho was renowned for his technical skills, creativity, dribbling ability and accuracy from free-kicks, his use of tricks, feints, no-look passes and overhead kicks, as well as his ability to score and create goals, all prominent characteristics of his early-age background playing futsal. He is known by the nickname "O Bruxo" ("The Wizard").

Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho in 2019
Personal information
Full name Ronaldo de Assis Moreira
Date of birth (1980-03-21) 21 March 1980
Place of birth Porto Alegre, Brazil
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, winger
Youth career
1987–1998 Grêmio
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2001 Grêmio 89 (47)
2001–2003 Paris Saint-Germain 55 (17)
2003–2008 Barcelona 145 (70)
2008–2011 AC Milan 76 (20)
2011–2012 Flamengo 56 (23)
2012–2014 Atlético Mineiro 58 (20)
2014–2015 Querétaro 25 (8)
2015 Fluminense 7 (0)
Total 511 (205)
International career
1997 Brazil U17 13 (3)
1998–1999 Brazil U20 17 (8)
1999–2000 Brazil U23 19 (15)
2008 Brazil Olympic (O.P.) 8 (3)
1999–2013 Brazil 97 (33)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Brazil
FIFA World Cup
Winner2002 Korea/Japan
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner2005 Germany
Runner-up1999 Mexico
Copa América
Winner1999 Paraguay
Olympic Games
2008 BeijingTeam
CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament
WinnerBrazil 2000
South American U-20 Championship
1999 Argentina
FIFA U-17 World Cup
Winner1997 Egypt
South American U-17 Championship
Winner1997 Paraguay
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ronaldinho made his career debut for Grêmio, in 1998. At age 20, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain in France before signing for Barcelona in 2003. In his second season with Barcelona, he won his first FIFA World Player of the Year award as Barcelona won the 2004–05 La Liga title. The season that followed is considered one of the best in his career as he was integral in Barcelona winning the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, their first in fourteen years, and another La Liga title, giving Ronaldinho his first career double, receiving the 2005 Ballon d'Or and his second FIFA World Player of the Year in the process. After scoring two solo goals in the first 2005–06 El Clásico, Ronaldinho became the second Barcelona player, after Diego Maradona in 1983, to receive a standing ovation from Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabéu. Due to these successes, Ronaldinho is widely credited with changing the history of Barcelona.

Following a second-place La Liga finish to Real Madrid in the 2006–07 season and an injury-plagued 2007–08 season, Ronaldinho suffered a decline in his performances—often put down to a decrease in dedication and focus having achieved so much in the sport—and departed Barcelona to join AC Milan, where he won the 2010–11 Serie A. 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. 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, Ronaldinho was voted World Player of the Decade 2000s, ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

In his international career with Brazil, Ronaldinho earned 97 caps and scored 33 goals and represented his country in two FIFA World Cups. After debuting with the Seleção by winning the 1999 Copa América, he was an integral part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning team, starring alongside Ronaldo and Rivaldo in an attacking trio, and was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. As captain, he led 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.

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