One of the players most associated with Joan Laporta’s renaissance of FC Barcelona is Ronaldo de Assis Moreira from Brazil, better known to the world simply as Ronaldinho, sometimes as Gaucho, or affectionately just as plain Ronnie.
Brought to Barcelona in 2003 by Laporta’s then ally and right hand man, Vice-president Sandro Rosell, Ronaldinho quickly established himself in the hearts and minds of Barcelona’s supporters – known as “culés” – with a combination of unmatched skill with the ball, daring attacks on the goal, and a manner that showed above anything else that win or lose, he just loved playing football.
Barcelona had experienced several years of lacklustre results and overspending by the former administration and Ronaldinho arrived in Barcelona finding moral at rock bottom. However, the club quickly began to regain some of its confidence and after a slow start at the beginning of the 2003-2004 season managed to come in second place behind Valencia.
Born in Brazil’s Porto Alegre in 1980, Ronaldinho’s older brother was a professional footballer who played for Grêmio until his career was cut short by injury and as a boy he honed his skills by playing both indoor and beach football. His first taste of stardom came aged just 13, when his team beat a local rival 23-0. What is even more impressive is that the only player to score in that match was Ronaldinho!
Ronaldinho followed brother Roberto into Grêmio in 1998 and with his scoring ability and magic touch quickly came to the attention of the national team, who he was first called up for in 1999. His profile rising worldwide, he began to receive the attention of a number of European clubs and eventually signed with Paris Saint-germain in 2001.
However, he failed to produce the expected results with manager Luis Fernadez claiming that he enjoyed the Paris nightlife too much to be able to focus on his football and by 2003 Ronaldinho made it clear that it was time for him to move on.
FC Barcelona and Manchester United were in the running for the young Brazilian player, but when Machester and PSG failed to agree terms the door was kept open for Barcelona to secure his signing.
Ronaldinho’s debut was on a summer tour of the United States, when the club played an exhibition match against AC Milan in which he scored. He quickly became a favourite of the club, when time after time he was able to produce impressive displays of ball control in which was able to show off his natural talents that whether they made it to the back of the net always left him with his trademark toothy grin across his face.
In addition to the La Liga and Champions League titles that Ronaldinho helped propel Barcelona towards, he also has been awarded some of football’s top individual awards. In 2004 and 2005 he won the FIFA World Player of the Year award, the European Footballer of the Year in 2005 and worldwide professional footballers association, FIFPro’s World Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006.
The top 3 reasons to see FC Barcelona at the Nou Camp
That Futbol Club Barcelona is one of the top soccer teams in the world is beyond any doubt and so any serious sports fan should pay at least one visit in their life to see them play in their home stadium, the Nou Camp.
How to choose scuba diving equipment – selecting a scuba mask
When selecting a scuba mask it is essential that it fits your face well to ensure that it is both comfortable and leak free. Without a good seal against the face you may spend much of your time clearing the mask of water, while an uncomfortable mask detracts from your diving experience – both lead to enjoying your dives less but because they distract you from your environment they are also potentially unsafe.
Scuba Diving Equipment – an overview
Scuba diving equipment is designed to overcome the limits of human physiology in the submarine world and although the number of items may seem daunting to the beginner, everything has a clear purpose. Below we look at the main items of scuba diving equipment used in recreational diving.
