Biography of Ronaldinho Essay Example

Libertadores.

In 2001, Arsenal F. C. expressed interest in signing Ronaldinho, but the move collapsed after he could not obtain a work permit, because he was a non-EU player who had not played enough international matches. He considered playing on loan with Scottish Premier League side St Mirren F. C. , which never happened due to his involvement in a fake passport scandal in Brazil.

Ronaldinho ultimately signed a five-year contract with ParisSaint-Germain FC. During the 2001-02 season, PSG manager Luis Fernandez claimed that Ronaldinho was too focused on the Parisian nightlife rather than football, and complained that his holidays in Brazil never ended at the scheduled times. In 2003, less than two years into his PSG stint, Ronaldinho made it clear he wanted to leave after PSG failed to qualify for any European competition.  FC Barcelona Ronaldinho in 2004. On July 19, 2003, FC Barcelona acquired Ronaldinho for ? 21 million.

Originally, Barcelona president Joan Laporta had promised to bring David Beckham to the club, but following his transfer to Real Madrid, Barcelona entered the running for Ronaldinho and outbid Manchester United for his signature. He made his team debut in a friendly against A. C. Milan at RFK Stadium in Washington, D. C, scoring one goal in a 2-0 victory.

After suffering from injury during the first half of the campaign, he returned and helped lead Barcelona to a second-place league finish. Ronaldinho won his first league title in 2004-05, and was named FIFA World Player of the Year on December 20, 2004.On March 8, 2005, Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League by Chelsea F. C in the first knockout round, with Ronaldinho scoring both goals

in a 4-2 loss. With Ronaldinho's contract expiring in 2008, he was offered an extension until 2014 that would have net him ? 85 million over nine years, but he turned it down.

In September 2005, he signed a two-year extension that contained a minimum-fee release clause that allowed him to leave should a club make an offer to Barcelona of at least ? 85 million for him. Ronaldinho with Frank Rijkaard at NASA's Johnson Space Center.By the end of the 2004-05 season, Ronaldinho had started to accumulate a host of personal awards. He won the inaugural FIFPro World Player of the Year in September 2005, in addition to being included in the FIFPro World XI. He was named as both the European Footballer of the Year .

He was again named FIFA World Player of the Year with 956 points, more than triple the amount (306) of runner-up Frank Lampard. On November 19, 2005, Ronaldinho scored twice as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-0 on the road in the first leg of the El Clasico.After he sealed the match with his second goal, he received a standing ovation from the Madrid fans. He was chosen for the UEFA Team of 2005 for the third consecutive year in January 2006. Barcelona eliminated SL Benfica in the '05-06 CL quarterfinals with a 2-0 home victory, with Ronaldinho scoring one of the goals after missing an early penalty kick.

After a 1-0 semifinal aggregate win over AC Milan, in which Ronaldinho assisted the series' only goal by Ludovic Giuly, Barcelona progressed to the CL final, which they won on May 17, 2006 with a 2-1 defeat of Arsenal F.C. despite Ronaldinho

being kept in check for the match. Two weeks earlier, Barcelona had clinched their second straight La Liga title with a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo, giving Ronaldinho his first career double. He finished the season with a career-best twenty-six goals in all competitions, and was named the 2005-06 Champions League Player of the Year.

On November 25, 2006, Ronaldinho scored his fiftieth career league goal against Villarreal CF, then later scored a second time with an overhead bicycle kick.He later said to reporters that the latter was a goal he had dreamed of scoring since he was a boy. He scored once and set up two others in Barcelona's 4-0 Club World Cup win over Mexico's Club America on December 14, but Barcelona were defeated 1-0 by Brazilian club Internacional in the final. Ronaldinho was nonetheless the recipient of the Bronze Ball Award for the competition. The next day, Ronaldinho finished third in the running for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, behind World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and Zinedine Zidane.

Ronaldinho was named among the UEFA Team of the Year for the third straight time in January 2007, receiving the highest number of votes in over 290,000 nominations. He was forced to miss a charity match on March 13 due to an injury he had picked up several days earlier in Barcelona's 3-3 El Clasico draw with Real Madrid. He played his 200th career match for Barcelona in a league match against Osasuna on February 3, 2008. However, his 2007-08 campaign as a whole was plagued by injuries, and a muscle tear in his right leg on April 3 prematurely ended his season.

On May 19, Laporta stated that Ronaldinho needed a "new challenge," claiming that he needed a new club if he were to revive his career.

Manchester City F. C. owner Thaksin Shinawatra confirmed on June 6 that he was interested in acquiring him. Ronaldinho and Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi each captained a team of international stars in an anti-racism exhibition match in Venezuela on June 28, which ended in a 7-7 draw. Ronaldinho finished with a pair of goals and two assists in what would be his last match as a Barcelona player. Ronaldinho playing for A.

C. Milan

A. C. Milan Ronaldinho turned down a ? 25. 5 Million offer from Manchester City to join Italian giants A.

C. Milan on a three-year contract, after he was purchased from Barcelona for €21 million. With the number 10 already occupied by teammate Clarence Seedorf, he selected 80 as his jersey number, because 1980 was his birth year. Ronaldinho scored his first league goal in a 1-0 derby victory over Internazionale on September 28, 2008.

He currently leads Serie A with 2 assists. [citation needed]