Ronaldo de Assis Moreira

Ronaldinho is a former professional footballer from Brazil. He was named the FIFA World Player of the Year twice and he also received a Ballon D’Or award in 2005. He is one of Brazil’s most decorated and most celebrated footballers. Teams he played for included AC Milan, Barcelona, and Querétaro.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, better known simply as Ronaldinho was born on March 21, 1980, in Porto Alegre, Brazil. His mother worked in sales and his father worked in the shipyards. In his downtime, his father also played for the local club, Esporte Clube Cruzeiro.

Ronaldinho’s brother Roberto de Assis Moreira was signed by Gremio. This led the family to move to Guaruja. Sadly, his brother’s career was cut short because of injury. Roberto later worked as Ronaldinho’s manager.

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Position	Midfielder
Height / weight	1.82 m /
Born	21 Mar 1980
Nationality	Brazil
Nickname	Ronaldinho

Team History
Querétaro F.C.	2014 - 2015
Fluminense	2015
Clube Atletico Mineiro	2012 - 2014
Flamengo	2011 - 2012
AC Milan	2008 - 2011
FC Barcelona	2003 - 2008
Paris SG	2001 - 2003
Gremio Foot-ball Porto Alegrense	1998 - 2001

He has a son, Joao, whom he named after his father. In 2007, Ronaldinho was granted Spanish citizenship. In 2018, he joined the Brazilian Republican Party.

Youth Career

He started playing football seriously when he was eight years old. He received the nickname Ronaldinho because he was usually one of the smallest players in youth club events. In addition to regular football, he also enjoyed futsal and beach football.

He started his Youth Career in 1987, playing for Gremio. He played with the youth club through to 1998 when started playing for the club professionally.

Professional Career

He debuted for the Gremio senior squad in 1998 when he was 18 years old. In 2001, he received interest from Arsenal but he eventually signed to play for Paris Saint-Germain.

He signed a five-year contract with PSG in 2001 and debuted for the club that August. For the 2001-2002 season, he was instrumental in helping the team reach the Coupe de La Ligue semifinals.

In 2003, when FC Barcelona hired Joan Laporta, Ronaldinho was targeted alongside David Beckham and Thierry Henry as recruits. Henry remained with Arsenal and the Beckham deal did not materialize. Instead, the club outbid Manchester United for his signature.

He debuted for Barcelona in July 2003. The 2004-2005 season proved amazing for Ronaldinho. That season, he helped Barcelona win La Liga. He was also named the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004. By 2005, he had accumulated an impressive list of personal awards, including being named FIFA’s World Player of the Year for the second year in a row.

The 2005-2006 season is considered the best in his career. He helped give Barcelona their first Champions League Title in 14 years. He ended that year with a Ballon D’Or award.

In 2008, he joined AC Milan. He had an excellent start to his season but later developed a reputation for partying too much and not being very dedicated to practicing. By the 2009-2010 season, he was back in form and was one of the club’s best players.

In 2011, he joined Flamengo. In 2012, he joined Atletico Mineiro just four days after he left Flamengo. When he became a free agent in 2014, he signed with Queretaro. Then in 2015, he announced his return to Brazil to play for Fluminense. In 2016, he played futsal in India for Goa. He also played for the Deli Dragons in the Premier Futsal League.

In January 2018, he confirmed his retirement from Football.

National Career

Ronaldinho played for Brazil in international team events numerous times. He helped them win the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He also helped the team win the Bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Honors