Tonaldinho football trick

Biography of Ronaldinho

If you think of soccer tricks, Ronaldinho is one the first names that comes up in your mind. He is the typical Brazilian street soccer player, but better. Ronaldinho seems to have total control over the ball and he makes it look so easy. But how did he come so far? Well, here is his life story.



Ronaldinho's youth

Ronaldinho Gaúcho was born on 21st March 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He was born in a family of soccer addicts. Ronaldinho and his family lived in a wooden house in a favela. His father, João de Silva Moreira, played for Esporte Clube Cruzeiro, a local soccer club. To get by, he worked as a car park attendant at FC Gremio. João also worked in a local shipyard.

Ronaldinho's sister, Deisi, works as his press coordinator. His older brother, Roberto, now works as his manager.

Roberto showed a lot of soccer talent at a young age as well. When he signed a contract at FC Grêmio, he and his family moved into a villa in the more sophisticated and developed part of Porto Alegre, Guarujá. Life was good for Ronaldinho and his family. But when Ronaldinho was eight, his father suffered a fatal heart attack in the villa's swimming pool. To make things even worse, Roberto had to stop his soccer career after a bad knee injury.
    Ronaldinho as a Kid

Ronaldinho developed a special interest in futsal and beach soccer, this is probably where he developed his excelling technique. At this time, he got his nickname 'Ronaldinho', which means 'little Ronaldo'. The reason behind this name is the fact that he was almost always the youngest and smallest player on the field.


Ronaldinho's first breakthrough

Ronaldinho really started to make a name for himself at the age of 13 when he scored all 23 goals in a 23-0 victory against a local team.

Ronaldinho was signed by FC Grêmio to play in their youth squad. He was considered a wonder child from the age of 17. He played for the Brazilian U-17 squad at the U-17 WC in Egypt in 1997. He scored his first goal from a penalty in the 7-0 victory against Austria. He scored a total of 2 penalties at that tournament. Ronaldinho won the Bronze Ball at this tournament.

Ronaldinho played a very disappointing the season after his excellent seasons at Barcelona. Critics and tabloids were after him. The fans expected him to play like he did during the last two seasons but Ronaldinho just couldn't reach that level anymore.



Ronaldinho's move to AC Milan
Ronaldinho AC Milan    


During the transfer period, Manchester City showed concrete interest in Ronaldinho. The deal was of after Ronaldinho rejected a €25.5 million deal. Ronaldinho eventually moved to AC Milan for €21 million. He scored his first goal for Milan against rivals Internazionale in a 1-0 victory on 28 September 2008. He also scored the winning goal against Braga in the UEFA Cup group stage.

Ronaldinho still hasn't found the form he had during the period between 2004 and 2006. Many people argue on why this is. Some say it's because of his injuries, others say he isn't focused on his career and loves partying more than playing top soccer.

But no matter what the reason is, Ronaldinho has proven himself. People from all over the world would come to Barcelona just to see him play. Kids scraped together their allowance to buy a Ronaldinho-shirt. Despite what all the critics say, the chances are small we will see another player like Ronaldinho in the next 10 years.