Soccer Ronaldinho

by Denise I Smithson
Ronaldinho (Ronaldo de Assis Moreira) was born on March 21, 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil and would rise to be one of soccer's greatest. The five-foot eleven, one-hundred seventy-seven pound forward would wow audiences with his mastery as early as 1999, beginning amateur play following in his father Joao's footsteps, becoming skilled in beach and indoor (futbal) soccer.

Born to Miguelina, and cared for by his sisters and brother after his father's death when he was only eight, Ronaldinho achieved his first cap with the Brazilian senior team in 1999 with club Gremio under head coach Celso Roth. In 2001, Arsenal FC wanted Ronaldinho but this move would not go through as Ronaldinho was unable to obtain a work permit. Eventually, Ronaldinho would sign a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain FC where some reported he enjoyed his nightlife more than football. Unhappy in Paris, Ronaldiho finally went back to Barcelona in 2004.

It was at the Copa America in Paraguay where Ronaldinho and teammates Ronald and Rivaldo mesmerized onlookers; and here, he achieved truly huge success by scoring Brazil's fifth goal in a 7-0 crushing of rival Venezuela. But there was also the "wonder goal" of 2002's FIFA World Cup in Japan. This was Ronaldinho's scoring of the game-winning goal via an amazing 30-yard free kick which took England's goalie David Seaman utterly by surprise. Winning the quarterfinal, his team went on to win the World Cup. Ronaldinho achieved yet more soccer accolades here by being named part of the all-tournament team.

Ronaldinho has won a great array of soccer's greatest prizes. Among these are the FIFA World Player of the Year for 2004 and 2005, as well as the UEFA's Champion League Award in 2006 in Barcelona (he scored seven goals in only 12 matches in that year). "Sports Illustrated" magazine named Ronaldinho the fifth wealthiest athlete of 2008 for his earnings of $37.5 million that year (salary, bonuses, product endorsements, and live appearances). This put the 28-year-old soccer star in group that included Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, David Beckham, and Kimi Raikkonen.

Early summer of 2008 saw Ronaldinho injure a muscle in his right leg while playing in his 200th match. Much to the dismay of spectators and fans around the world, he would be benched for the remainder of the season. But not ending there, Ronaldinho's troubles looked worse when he and his club argued about his decision to play in the Bejing Olympic games. But after the dust had settled, Ronaldinho sealed a deal with the Italian Club AC Milan. This allowed him to play in the Olympics beside his countrymen.

Ronaldinho turned down a $25.5 million contract offer from Manchester City to play for AC Milan for three years. He was getting paid $21 million in Barcelona. The great Italian AC Milan player Clarence Seedorf had also worn Ronaldinho's #10 and it was retired, so he went with jersey #80 to honor the year of his birth. Milan quickly saw the wisdom of their new player selection when Ronaldinho scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Internazionale in September of 2008.

Ronaldinho drove Milan into a 2-2 draw after they had fallen behind 2-0 against Sporting Braga in November 2008's UEFA Cup and then scored a match-winner in the 93rd minute of the match. Ronaldinho's brother Roberto has been driving his brother as his agent, and has gotten him endorsement after endorsement so that his great soccer playing sibling is booked up with them through 2014. And Ronaldinho apparently enjoys his current home of Milan, Italy much more than he did Paris.

Ronaldinho became a father in 2005 when his son Joao was born. The boy is named after his grandfather and his mother is Brazilian dancer Janaina Mendes. But, when it comes to soccer, where will he ultimately end up? Only Ronaldinho and Roberto know. But with his immense global popularity, it seems Ronaldinho would be a great fit on any team. Maybe some are already thinking, "what about the United States?