Biography Ronaldinho

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira or Ronaldinho Gaucho to nickname-happy Brazilians was born on March 21, 1980 in the southern city of Porto Alegre. Like most Brazilian soccer prodigies, he came from a poor family and was raised in the heart of the dirt road-laced settlements known as favelas. But his family loved the sport and found joy in playing it. Ronaldinho's father, Joao da Silva Moreira, played in an amateur club when he wasn't working as a welder or guarding the Gremio soccer stadium. Even though it was Ronaldinho's older brother Roberto who was a rising star in the Gremio club, Joao saw in young Ronaldinho a true champion. The way the boy dribbled a ball around the furniture at home was unbelievable.

As a child, Ronaldinho played both futsal and beach football. He made a name for himself as the top scorer at the under-17 world championship in Egypt, then began his professional career at Gremio, where he played from 1998 to 2001. He made his first appearance for the Brazilian national team on June 26, 1999, scoring against Venezuela to help the team win the Copa America. He scored 27 goals in his first 62 matches for Brazil.

"Ronaldinho isn't only capable of winning games on his own; he keeps our spirits high because he is always in a good mood." So says Barcelona captain Carles Puyol. And it isn't hard to see. Ronaldinho steps onto the pitch, looks to the sky perhaps to his dad makes a determined sign of the cross, and puts on an unshakable smile.

In 2001, Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and started playing at the beginning of the season. However, even though Ronaldinho had been a free agent from July 1, 2001, Gremio demanded compensation from PSG and received $4.5 million. During his time at PSG, the manager, Luis Fernandez, claimed that Ronaldinho was too focused on the Parisian nightlife rather than on his football.

In 2002, Ronaldinho helped Brazil win the World Cup. One of the highlights of the tournament was a spectacular 35-metre lob he scored against England in the quarter-finals in Shizuoka, although he was sent off soon after scoring for a foul on Danny Mills.

In 2003, Ronaldinho made it known he wanted to leave PSG after they failed to qualify for any European competitions. That set off a bidding war among the top clubs for his services. On July 19, FC Barcelona snapped him up for 27 million Euro, beating Manchester United to his signature. Ronaldinho justified their purchase, leading them to a second-place finish in La Liga during the 03/04 season. Together with Samuel Eto'o, Deco, Ludovic Giuly, Lionel Messi and Henrik Larsson, he comprises part of an awesome strike force which reaped the 2004/05 La Liga title for FC Barcelona

Ronaldinho enjoyed the typical rags to riches story of every great baller to come out of Brazil. There was no way Ronaldinho could not succeed, as nothing got in the way of his passion for soccer. He would play on the dirt, on the asphalt, in his living room nothing else occupied his mind. Soon enough, Ronaldinho found himself scoring for his city's biggest team, the powerhouse Gremio.

Being the top player in the world's greatest game is an honor bestowed onto a precious few. Every young boy in (most of) the world dreams of being crowned king of the pitch. And each year, when the new reigning man is picked, the world bows in deference. In addition to his success on the field, he has endorsements with Nike and Pepsi, and was the sixth highest-earning soccer player in 2003. You don't get cooler than that.

On December 20, 2004, Ronaldinho was named FIFA World Player of the Year ahead of Arsenal's Thierry Henry and AC Milan's Andriy Shevchenko. On June 29, 2005, he played a pivotal role as the captain of the Brazilian squad which won its second FIFA Confederations Cup title, in a 4-1 victory over Argentina. Pele named Ronaldinho in his 125 Top Living Footballers in March 2004. In 2005 Ronaldinho was named as both the European Footballer of the Year and the best striker in the UEFA Champions League tournament of 2004/2005. Ronaldinho is the third Brazilian to win the European Footballer of the Year Award. On December 19, 2005, he was named for the second time FIFA World Player of the Year over Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Barcelona F.C.'s Samuel Eto'o with 910 votes.