Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, or Ronaldinho, was born on March 21, 1980, in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Ronaldinho was the son of Joao de Assis Moreira and Dona Miguelina Eloi Assis dos Santos. Ronaldinho’s father had worked at the Gremio club as a doorman when the match was about to begin. But then he switched professions as a welder. While his mother was a cosmetic businessman before finally turning to become a nurse.
His parents always support and encourage him to always pursue his dream.
Because he was so close to his father, Ronaldinho idolized him so much. But all his senses of admiration disappeared instantly after her father died due to a heart attack. Ronaldinho was only 8 years old when he was left by his father.
His father’s death left deep sorrow for Ronaldinho. He was often depressed because he was left behind by the figure he considered as a coach. Although getting left behind by his beloved person, Ronaldinho’s life and family were slowly getting improved. That was because his older brother got quite a lot of money from the results of his football career.
His older brother finally took care of Ronaldinho. From football practice to all family needs were fulfilled by his brother. His older brother, Roberto de Assis Moreira, was wanted by the Gremio club because of his extraordinary intelligence. He even offered a luxury home for his family.
It was the success of Roberto who helped Ronaldinho. Every day, his brother always taught him new techniques in playing football. They often played one on one to form training sessions every day.
The older brother really became his father’s replacement for Ronaldinho. From how to dribble, receive the ball, how to step, until the acceleration of each movement was taught by his brother.
But there was a sad moment experienced by his brother. He suffered from an injury which made his career was not as bright as before. His family was worried about what if his brother could not bear all the family’s needs.
After his family felt discouraged, their hopes were returned as Ronaldinho was slowly becoming the substitute for his brother in supporting his family. All the techniques for playing football were mastered by him. From the futsal field to real football, Ronaldinho’s game invited a lot of admiration. Even when his team won 23-0, Ronaldinho scored all of the scored goals.
As if it were a turning point, Ronaldinho began his career as a professional footballer. In 1997, he even got a call from the Brazilian national team U17. He also became an important pillar in the Brazilian national team victory at the U17 World Cup event held in Egypt.
In 1998, Ronaldinho signed a contract with Gremio. After successfully donating the Copa Sul and the Rio Grande do Sul State Championship awards, Ronaldinho was immediately picked up by the French League team, Paris Saint Germain. In 2001, Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract with the team.
Being one of the most prominent, he directly donated the Intertoto Cup title to PSG. A year later, Ronaldinho got a call from the Brazilian national team to compete in the 2002 World Cup stage held in Korea-Japan. Together with Ronaldo and Rivaldo, this smiling man managed to donate the World Cup trophy to the samba team.
Back to appear neat with PSG, Ronaldinho had become the target of big European clubs. At that time, he almost joined Manchester United. However, the 181 cm player actually anchored in Spain to sign a contract with FC Barcelona.
With FC Barcelona, Ronaldinho’s career had skyrocketed. He became one of the stars who were able to create important goals in the matches that La Blaugrana went through. In the 2003/04 and 2005/06 seasons, Ronaldinho even won the best foreign player and Ballon d’Or trophy.
Again, he also successfully won two FIFA best player awards twice in a row. Precisely in 2004 and 2005.
Having lived for about five years with FC Barcelona had indeed become the golden phase for Ronaldinho. He managed to donate the La Liga award, European Champions League and Spanish Super Cup for the Catalan team.
After getting injured, Ronaldinho finally moved to AC Milan. After leaving Camp Nou, Ronaldinho’s career did not go too smoothly. After wearing Il Rossoneri’s uniform, he returned to Brazil to join Flamengo.
After that, Ronaldinho had donated the Copa Libertadores award to Atletico Mineiro before officially signing a two-year contract with Mexican club Queretaro.
When the contract had ended, Ronaldinho moved to Fluminense and decided to retire in 2018.
During his career as a professional footballer, Ronaldinho was one of the most popular players in the world and included in the 100 best players in history.
He even worked with several companies such as Nike, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, EA Sports, and Gatorade.
For his achievements and dedication during his career in the world of football, Ronaldinho will always be remembered as one of the best legends.
