Kaka may refer to:

People:

Kaká (Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer

Kazimierz Deyna, (1947-1989), nicknamed Kaka, Polish footballer

Kaka Hathrasi (1906-1995), Hindi satirist

Kaka Joginder Singh (1918-1998), Punjabi politician

Claudiano Bezerra da Silva (born 1981), aka Kaká, Brazilian footballer

Kaka Baptista, (1864-1930), Indian freedom fighter from Mumbai

Places:

Kaka, Turkmenistan

Kaka Point, New Zealand

Kaka, Central African Republic

Kaka, Togo

Parrots:

New Zealand Kaka, native New Zealand parrot

Norfolk Island Kākā, extinct parrot

Chatham Island Kākā, extinct parrot

Other:

KAKA (FM), a radio station (88.5 FM) licensed to Salina, Kansas, United States

See also

Caca (disambiguation)

Category:Given names Category:Broadcast call sign disambiguation pages

Playername	Kaká
Caption	Kaká with Real Madrid in September 2009
Fullname	Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
Height
Dateofbirth	April 22, 1982
Cityofbirth	Brasília
Countryofbirth	Brazil
Currentclub	Real Madrid
Clubnumber	8
Position	Attacking midfielder
Youthyears1	1994–2000
Youthclubs1	São Paulo
Years1	2001–2003
Years2	2003–2009
Years3	2009–
Clubs1	São Paulo
Clubs2	Milan
Clubs3	Real Madrid
Caps1	59
Goals1	23
Caps2	193
Goals2	70
Caps3	27
Goals3	9
Nationalyears1	2002–
Nationalteam1	Brazil
Nationalcaps1	82
Nationalgoals1	27
Pcupdate	9 January 2011
Ntupdate	2 July 2010

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká, is a Brazilian football midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. He also holds an Italian passport, which enables him to play as an EU player. He started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club. At the time, he also played tennis, and it was not until he moved on to São Paulo FC and signed his first professional contract with the club at the age of fifteen that he chose to focus on football.

In 2003 he joined A.C. Milan for a fee of €8.5 million. While at Milan, Kaká won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007. After his success with Milan, Kaká joined Real Madrid for a world record fee of $89 million, smashing the previous record of Zidane, $75 million. In addition to his contributions on the pitch, Kaká is known for his humanitarian work. In 2004, by the time of his appointment, he became the youngest ambassador of the United Nations' World Food Programme.

Early life

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite was born in Brasília to Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite (a civil engineer) and Simone dos Santos (an elementary school teacher). He had a financially secure upbringing that allowed him to focus on both school and football at the same time. His younger brother Rodrigo (best known as Digão) and cousin Eduardo Delani are also professional footballers.

When he was seven, his family moved to São Paulo. His school had arranged him in a local youth club called "Alphaville," who qualified to the final in a local tournament. There he was discovered by hometown club São Paulo FC, who offered an assignment.

At the age of 18, Kaká suffered a career-threatening and possibly paralysis-inducing spinal fracture as a result of a swimming pool accident, but remarkably made a full recovery. He attributes his recovery to God and has since tithed his income to his church.

Milan

.]] The steady European interest in Kaká culminated in his signing with Italian club AC Milan in 2003 for a fee of €8.5 million, described in retrospect as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi. Within a month, he cracked the starting lineup, and his Serie A debut was in a 2–0 win over Ancona. He scored 10 goals in 30 appearances that season, as Milan won the Scudetto and the UEFA Super Cup.

Kaká was a part of the five-man midfield in the 2004–05 season, usually playing in a withdrawn role behind striker Andriy Shevchenko. He scored seven goals in 36 domestic appearances as Milan finished runner-up in the Scudetto race. Despite Milan losing the 2004–05 Champions League final to Liverpool on penalties, he was nonetheless was voted the best midfielder of the tournament.

2005–06 saw Kaká score his first hat-tricks in domestic competition. On 9 April 2006, he scored his first Rossoneri hat-trick against Chievo; all three goals were scored in the second half. The following season, he scored his first Champions League hat-trick in a 4–1 group stage win over the Belgian side Anderlecht.

Andriy Shevchenko's departure to Chelsea for the 2006–07 season allowed Kaká to become the focal point of Milan's offense as he alternated between the midfield and striker positions. He finished as the top scorer in the 2006–07 Champions League campaign with ten goals. One of them helped the Rossoneri eliminate Celtic in the quarter-finals on a 1–0 aggregate, and three others proved fatal for Manchester United in the semi-finals, despite Milan losing the first leg.

Kaká added the Champions League title to his trophy case for the first time when Milan defeated Liverpool on 23 May 2007. Though he went scoreless, he won a free kick that led to the first of Filippo Inzaghi's two goals, and provided the assist for the second. For his stellar play throughout the competition, he was voted the Vodafone Fans' Player of the Season in a poll of over 100,000 UEFA.com visitors. On 30 August, Kaká was named by UEFA as both the top forward of the 2006–07 Champions League season and UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.

He played his 200th career match with Milan in a 1–1 home draw with Catania on 30 September, and on 5 October, he was named the 2006–07 FIFPro World Player of the Year. On 2 December 2007, Kaká became the eighth Milan player to win the Ballon d'Or, as he finished with a decisive 444 votes, long ahead of runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo. He signed a contract extension through 2013 with Milan on February 29, 2008.

Due to his contributions on and off the pitch, Time magazine named Kaká in the Time 100, a list of the world's 100 most influential people, on 2 May. On 14 October, he cast his footprints into the Estádio do Maracanã's sidewalk of fame, in a section dedicated to the memory of the country's top players. He won the honor again in 2009.

BBC reported on 13 January 2009 that Manchester City made a bid for Kaká for over £100 million. Milan director Umberto Gandini replied that Milan would only discuss the matter if Kaká and Manchester City agreed to personal terms. Kaká initially responded by telling reporters he wanted to "grow old" at Milan and dreamed of captaining the club one day, but later said, "If Milan want to sell me, I’ll sit down and talk. I can say that as long as the club don’t want to sell me, I'll definitely stay." On 19 January, Silvio Berlusconi announced that Manchester City had officially ended their bid after a discussion between the clubs, and that Kaká would remain with Milan. Milan supporters had protested outside the club headquarters earlier that evening, and later chanted outside Kaká's home, where he saluted them by flashing his jersey outside a window.

Real Madrid

against Marseille in the UEFA Champions League]] On 3 June 2009, Football Italia reported that newly-elected Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez had offered Milan a €68.5 million deal for Kaká, two days after the player had left for international duty with Brazil. Milan vice president Adriano Galliani did not deny the reports, and confirmed that he and Kaká's father, Bosco Leite, had traveled to Mexico to meet with La Volpe. "We had lunch and spoke about Kaká. I don't deny it. Negotiations exist, but a deal has yet to be done." On 4 June, Galliani told Gazzetta dello Sport that financial reasons were his motive for the talks with La Volpe. "We cannot allow [Milan] to lose €70 million [...] The reasons behind Kaká's departure would be economic."

Kaká made his unofficial debut in a friendly against Toronto FC, and scored his first goal for Madrid during a preseason match against Borussia Dortmund, which Madrid won 5-0. He scored his first official goal for Real Madrid on week 5 against Villareal from a penalty kick. On 5 August 2010, Real Madrid announced that Kaká had undergone successful surgery on a long-standing left knee injury and will face up to four months on the sidelines. Kaká returned to training after a long lay-off and coach Jose Mourinho said that having Kaká back was like a new signing.

After an eight-month absence, Kaká returned to play by entering as a substitute for Karim Benzema on the 77th minute of a 3-2 victory over Getafe on January 3, 2011. He said he was "(...) happy for playing a game again and for stepping onto a pitch." His first league goal (and his first of the season) after his return from injury came with an assist from Cristiano Ronaldo on a 4-2 victory over Villareal on January 9.

International career

Kaká was called up for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, but the Brazilians crashed out to Ghana in the quarter-finals. Several months later, he made his debut for the senior Brazil squad in a friendly match against Bolivia on 31 January 2002. He was part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning squad, but played only 25 minutes, all of which were in the first round match against Costa Rica.

In 2003, Kaká was the captain for the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, where Brazil, competing with their under-23 team, finished as runner-up to Mexico. He scored three goals during the tournament. He was included in Brazil's squad for 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany. He appeared in all five matches and scored one goal in a 4–1 win over Argentina in the final.

Kaká started in his first FIFA World Cup finals in 2006 and scored his first and only goal of the tournament in Brazil's 1–0 victory over Croatia in Brazil's opener, for which he was named Man of the Match. He was unable to keep up the momentum for the remainder of the tournament, as Brazil was eliminated by France in the quarter-finals. In a friendly against rivals Argentina on 3 September 2006, after entering as a substitute, he received the ball off a deflection from an Argentina corner kick and outran Lionel Messi while taking the ball down three quarters of the field to score.

On 12 May 2007, citing an exhaustive schedule of Serie A, Champions League, and national team play, Kaká bowed out of the 2007 Copa América, which Brazil won. After missing out on the Copa América, he returned to play in Brazil's friendly match against Algeria on 22 August 2007.

Kaká participated in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, marking his first international tournament since the 2006 World Cup. His only two goals came in Brazil's group stage opener against Egypt on 14 June, when he scored a goal in the fifth minute and then added a 90th-minute penalty in Brazil's 4–3 victory. He received the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament at the Confederations Cup and was also named the Man of the Match in the final after helping Brazil to a 3-2 win against the United States.

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, during the 20 June match against Côte d'Ivoire, Kaká received a red card after receiving two yellow cards. The second card was given for an elbow in the direction of Abdul Kader Keïta. The Telegraph called the incident leading to the second yellow card "an innocuous off the-the-ball incident". Kaká ended the tournament with three assists in total, and Brazil eventually ended up losing 2–1 to the Netherlands.

Personal life

Kaká married his childhood sweetheart Caroline Celico on 23 December 2005 at a Rebirth in Christ church in São Paulo. Their first child, Luca Celico Leite, was born in São Paulo on 10 June 2008. On 8 December 2010 Kaká announced Celico was pregnant with their second child, a daughter.

Kaká was sworn in as an Italian citizen on 12 February 2007. He features prominently in Adidas advertising and also has a modeling contract with Armani, the latter preventing him from appearing in a photo collection alongside his Milan teammates that was published by Dolce & Gabbana in early 2007.

Raí, the former Brazilian and São Paulo FC captain, has always been the footballing role model of Kaká.

Kaká's best friend is fellow Brazilian Marcelo Saragosa who plays as a midfielder for the team Chivas USA. They both served as best man at each other's wedding.

Kaká is a follower of the evangelical Rebirth in Christ Church and devout evangelical Christian. Kaká became engrossed in religion at the age of 12: "I learnt that it is faith that decides whether something will happen or not." He removed his jersey to reveal an "I Belong to Jesus" t-shirt and openly engaged in prayer moments after the final whistle of Brazil's 2002 World Cup, and Milan's 2004 Scudetto and 2007 Champions League triumphs. He also had the same phrase, along with "God Is Faithful," stitched onto the tongues of his boots. During the postmatch celebration following Brazil's 4–1 win over Argentina in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup final, he and several of his teammates wore t-shirts that read "Jesus Loves You" in various languages.

Though sharing a common goal, Kaká is not currently a formal member of the organization Atletas de Cristo ("Athletes of Christ"). In goal celebrations he usually points to the sky as a gesture of thanks to God. Kaká's favourite music is gospel, and his favourite book is the Bible. Since November 2004, he has served as an Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations' World Food Programme, the youngest to do so at the time of his appointment.

Kaká has a musical side to himself as he performed a song with his wife, Caroline, on her debut album. The song, entitled Presente de Deus, was written by Kaká himself for his wife and was resonated in the church during their wedding in 2005.

Nickname

His nickname is pronounced as it is spelled, with stress on the second syllable (), and is a common term of endearment of "Ricardo" in Brazil. In Kaká's case, it was born from younger brother Digão calling him "Caca" due to his inability to pronounce "Ricardo" when they were young; it eventually evolved into Kaká. !! 48 ¹Continental competitions include the Copa Libertadores, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Cup ²Other tournaments include the Supercoppa Italiana, Intercontinental Cup and FIFA Club World Cup

International goals

Honours

Club

São Paulo

Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 2001

Supercampeonato Paulista: 2002

Copa São Paulo de Juniores: 2000

Milan

Serie A: 2003–04

Supercoppa Italiana: 2004

UEFA Champions League: 2006–07

UEFA Super Cup: 2003, 2007

FIFA Club World Cup: 2007

Trofeo Luigi Berlusconi: 2005, 2007(January), 2007(August), 2008

TIM Trophy: 2006, 2008

Country

Brazil

FIFA World Cup: 2002

FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005, 2009

Individual

Revista Placar Bola de Ouro: 2002

Campeonato Brasileiro Bola de Prata (best player by position): 2002

CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2003

Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year: 2004, 2006, 2007

Serie A Footballer of the Year: 2004, 2007

UEFA Champions League Bronze Top scorer: 2005–06

UEFA Champions League Best Midfielder: 2005

UEFA Team of the Year: 2006, 2007,2009

FIFPro World XI: 2006, 2007, 2008

Pallone d'Argento: 2006–07

UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 2006–07

UEFA Champions League Best Forward: 2006–07

UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2006-07

FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2007

Ballon d'Or: 2007

FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2007

Toyota Award: 2007

FIFA World Player of the Year: 2007

Onze d'Or: 2007

World Soccer Player of the Year: 2007

IFFHS World‘s Best Playmaker: 2007

IAAF Latin Sportsman of the Year: 2007

Time 100: 2008, 2009

Maracanã Hall Of Fame: 2008

Samba d'Or: 2008

FIFA Team of the Year: 2008

FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 2009

FIFA Confederations Cup Best XI: 2009

Marca Leyenda: 2009

FIFA World Cup Top Assister : 2010

References

External links

Kaka profile on SambaFoot

Career timeline, photo gallery and detailed statistics - Football Database

Tactical Profile - Football-Lineups.com

Category:A.C. Milan players Category:Association football midfielders Category:Brazil international footballers Category:Brazilian expatriate footballers Category:Brazilian evangelicals Category:Brazilian footballers Category:Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Category:European Footballer of the Year winners Category:Expatriate footballers in Italy Category:Expatriate footballers in Spain Category:FIFA Confederations Cup-winning players Category:FIFA World Cup-winning players Category:FIFA World Player of the Year winners Category:La Liga footballers Category:Living people Category:Italian people of Brazilian descent Category:Italian people of Portuguese descent Category:Naturalised citizens of Italy Category:People from Brasília Category:Real Madrid C.F. players Category:São Paulo Futebol Clube players Category:Serie A footballers Category:World Soccer Magazine World Player of the Year winners Category:1982 births Category:2002 FIFA World Cup players Category:2005 FIFA Confederations Cup players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players

Playername	Cristiano Ronaldo
Fullname	Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Dateofbirth	February 05, 1985
Cityofbirth	Funchal, Madeira
Countryofbirth	Portugal
Height
Position	Winger/Forward
Currentclub	Real Madrid
Clubnumber	7
Youthyears1	1993–1995 |youthclubs1 = Andorinha
Youthyears2	1995–1997 |youthclubs2 = Nacional
Youthyears3	1997–2001 |youthclubs3 = Sporting CP
Years1	2001–2003 |clubs1 = Sporting CP |caps1 = 25 |goals1 = 3
Years2	2003–2009 |clubs2 = Manchester United |caps2 = 196 |goals2 = 84
Years3	2009– |clubs3 = Real Madrid |caps3 = 47 |goals3 = 48
Nationalyears1	2001–2002 |nationalteam1 = Portugal U17 |nationalcaps1 = 9 |nationalgoals1 = 6
Nationalyears2	2003 |nationalteam2 = Portugal U20 |nationalcaps2 = 5 |nationalgoals2 = 1
Nationalyears3	2002–2003 |nationalteam3 = Portugal U21 |nationalcaps3 = 6 |nationalgoals3 = 3
Nationalyears4	2004 |nationalteam4 = Portugal U23 |nationalcaps4 = 3 |nationalgoals4 = 1
Nationalyears5	2003– |nationalteam5 = Portugal |nationalcaps5 = 79 |nationalgoals5 = 25
Pcupdate	22:49, 3 January 2011 (UTC)
Ntupdate	22:38, 17 November 2010 (UTC)

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, (; born 5 February 1985), Ronaldo holds the distinction of being the first player to win the FIFA Puskás Award, an honour handed by FIFA to the best goal of the year. He scored that goal from 40 yards out, against Porto in a UEFA Champions League quarter-final match, while still playing for Manchester United.

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, then moved to Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting CP. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and he signed the 18-year-old for £12.24 million in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup, and reached the Euro 2004 final with Portugal, in which tournament he scored his first international goal.

In 2008, Ronaldo won the Champions League with United, and was named player of the tournament. He was named the FIFPro World Player of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years. Three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruyff said in an interview on 2 April 2008, "Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United."

Early life

Ronaldo was born on 5 February 1985 in Santo António, a neighbourhood of Funchal, Madeira, the youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook, and José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener. His second given name, "Ronaldo", was chosen after then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was his father's favourite actor. He has one older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia.

Club career

Early career

At the age of eight, Ronaldo played for amateur team Andorinha, where his father was the kit man. In 1995, Ronaldo signed with local club Nacional, and, after a title-winning campaign, he went on a three-day trial with Sporting CP, who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.

Sporting CP

Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the Academia Sporting, the club's football academy, in Alcochete. He became the only player ever to play for Sporting's U-16, U-17, U-18, B-team, and first team, all within one season. He scored two goals in his Sporting debut against Moreirense, while featuring for Portugal in the 2002 European Under-17 Championship.

When he was 15, Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart, a condition that might have forced him to give up playing football. The Sporting staff were made aware of the condition and Ronaldo's mother gave her authorisation for him to go into hospital. While there, he had an operation in which a laser was used to cauterise the area of his heart that was causing the problem. The surgery took place in the morning and Ronaldo was discharged from hospital by the end of the afternoon; he resumed training only a few days later.

He was first spotted by then-Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier at the age of 16, but Liverpool declined to take him on because they decided he was too young and needed some time to develop his skills. However, he came to the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting defeated United 3–1 in the inauguration of the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. Ronaldo's performance impressed the Manchester United players, who urged Ferguson to sign him.

Manchester United

2003–2006

Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for €15 million (£12.24 million) after the 2002–03 season. He requested the number 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by players such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. "After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28. But Ferguson said 'No, you're going to have No. 7,' and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour."

Ronaldo made his team debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 4–0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free kick in a 3–0 win over Portsmouth on 1 November 2003. Ronaldo ended his first season in English football by scoring the opening goal in United's 3-0 FA Cup final victory over Millwall

He scored United's 1000th Premier League goal on 29 October 2005 in a 4–1 loss to Middlesbrough. He scored ten goals in all competitions, and fans voted him to his first FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award in 2005.

Ronaldo won his second trophy in English football in the 2005-06 season, scoring the third goal in Manchester United's 4-0 Football League Cup final victory over Wigan Athletic.

2006–2009

The 2006-2007 season proved to be the breakout year for Ronaldo, as he broke the 20 goal barrier for the first time and picked up his first league title with Manchester United.

In November and December 2006, Ronaldo received consecutive Barclays Player of the Month honours, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to do so after Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and Robbie Fowler in 1996. He scored his 50th Manchester United goal against city rivals Manchester City on 5 May 2007 as United claimed their first Premier League title in four years, and he was voted into his second consecutive FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award at the end of the year.

Despite rumours circulating in March 2007 that Real Madrid were willing to pay an unprecedented €80 million (£54 million) for Ronaldo, he signed a five-year, £120,000-a-week (£31 million total) extension with United on 13 April, making him the highest-paid player in team history.

Ronaldo amassed a host of personal awards for the season. He won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards, joining Andy Gray (in 1977) as the only players to receive this honour. In April, he completed the treble by winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year. Ronaldo was also one of eight Manchester United players named in the 2006–07 PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

celebrating a goal]] Ronaldo's 2007–08 season began with a red card for a headbutt on Portsmouth player Richard Hughes during United's second match of the season, for which he was punished with a three-match ban. Ronaldo said he had "learned a lot" from the experience and would not let players "provoke" him in the future. After scoring the only goal in a Champions League away match against Sporting, Ronaldo also scored the injury-time winner in the return fixture as Manchester United topped their Champions League group.

He finished as the runner-up to Kaká for the 2007 Ballon d'Or, and was third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, behind Kaká and Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo scored his first hat trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 12 January 2008, bringing Manchester United up to the top of the Premier League table. He scored his twenty-third league goal of the season in a 2–0 win against Reading, equalling his entire total for the 2006–07 season. During a 1–1 Champions League first knockout round draw against Lyon on 20 February, an unidentified Lyon supporter continuously aimed a green laser at Ronaldo and United teammate Nani, prompting an investigation by UEFA. One month later, Lyon were fined CHF5,000 (£2,427) for the incident.

On 19 March 2008, Ronaldo captained United for the first time in his career in a home win over Bolton, scoring both goals in the 2–0 victory. The second of the goals was his 33rd of the campaign, which set a new club single-season scoring record by a midfielder and thus topped George Best's forty-year-old total of 32 goals in the 1967–68 season. Ronaldo scored another brace in a 4–0 win over Aston Villa on 29 March, which at the time gave him 35 goals in 37 domestic and European matches as both a starter and substitute. Ronaldo's scoring streak was rewarded with his becoming the first winger to win the 2007–08 European Golden Shoe, finishing eight points ahead of Mallorca's Dani Güiza.

In the 2007–08 Champions League final on 21 May against league rivals Chelsea, Ronaldo scored the opening goal after 26 minutes, which was negated by a Chelsea equaliser in the 45th minute as the match ended 1–1 after extra time. His misfire in the penalty shoot-out put Chelsea in position to win the trophy, but John Terry shot wide right after slipping on the pitch surface, and Manchester United emerged victorious 6–5 on penalties. Ronaldo was named the UEFA Fans' Man of the Match, and wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 42 goals in all competitions, falling four short of Denis Law's team-record mark of 46 in the 1963–64 season.

and rivals Liverpool.]] On 5 June 2008, Sky Sports reported that Ronaldo had expressed an interest in moving to Real Madrid if they offered him the same amount of money the team had allegedly promised him earlier in the year. Manchester United filed a tampering complaint with FIFA on 9 June over Madrid's alleged pursuit of Ronaldo, but FIFA declined to take any action. Speculation that a transfer would happen continued until 6 August, when Ronaldo confirmed that he would stay at United for at least another year.

Ronaldo underwent ankle surgery at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam on 7 July. He returned to action on 17 September in United's UEFA Champions League goalless group-stage draw with Villarreal as a substitute for Park Ji-Sung, and scored his first overall goal of the season in a 3–1 League Cup third round win over Middlesbrough on 24 September.

In a 5–0 win over Stoke City on 15 November 2008, Ronaldo scored his 100th and 101st goals in all competitions for Manchester United, both from free kicks. The goals also meant that Ronaldo had now scored against each of the other 19 teams in the Premier League at the time. On 2 December, Ronaldo became Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or recipient since George Best in 1968. He finished with 446 points, 165 ahead of runner-up Lionel Messi. He was awarded the Silver Ball after finishing with two goals as United won the Club World Cup on 19 December.

On 8 January 2009, Ronaldo was uninjured in a single-car accident in which he wrote off his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano in a tunnel along the A538 near Manchester Airport. A breathalyser test he gave to police officers at the scene was negative, and he attended training later that morning. Four days later, he became the first Premier League player ever to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to being the first Portuguese player to win the award since Luís Figo in 2001.

Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal of the season, and first since the final against Chelsea, in a 2–0 victory over Internazionale that sent United into the quarter-finals. In the second leg against Porto, Ronaldo scored a 40-yard game-winning goal as United advanced to the semi-finals. He later called it the best goal he had ever scored. Ronaldo participated in his second consecutive Champions League final, but made little impact in United's 2–0 loss to Barcelona. He finished with 53 appearances in all competitions, which was four higher than the previous year, but scored sixteen fewer goals (26) than his career-best total of 42 from the previous season.

On 11 June, Manchester United accepted an unconditional offer of £80 million from Real Madrid for Ronaldo after it was revealed that he again had expressed his desire to leave the club. It was confirmed by a representative of the Glazer family that the sale was fully condoned by Ferguson. When Ronaldo had eventually completed his transfer to Real, he expressed his gratitude towards Ferguson for helping him develop as a player, saying, "He's been my father in sport, one of the most important factors and most influential in my career."

Real Madrid

2009–10 season

and city rivals Atlético Madrid.]] On 26 June 2009, Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo would join the club on 1 July 2009 from Manchester United for £80 million, after agreeing terms and signing a six-year contract. Ronaldo's contract is worth €11 million per year He was presented to the world media as a Real Madrid player on 6 July, where he was handed the number 9 jersey. The shirt was presented to him by Madrid legend Alfredo di Stéfano. Ronaldo was welcomed by 80,000 fans at his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, surpassing Diego Maradona's record of 75,000 fans when he was presented in Italy, after he was transferred from Barcelona to Napoli in 1984.

Ronaldo made his Madrid debut on 21 July in a 1–0 win over Shamrock Rovers. His first goal came one week later with a penalty in Madrid's 4–2 LDU Quito. On 29 August, Ronaldo capped his La Liga debut with a goal, scoring Real's second from the penalty spot in a 3–2 home win against Deportivo La Coruña. On 15 September, Ronaldo scored two free-kicks in a 5-2 away victory over Zürich, his first Champions League goals for Real. He broke a Madrid club record when he scored in a league match against Villarreal and thus became the first ever player to score in his first four La Liga appearances.

An ankle injury suffered on 10 October, while Ronaldo was on international duty with Portugal against Hungary, kept him out until 25 November, which in turn caused him to miss both of Madrid's Champions League group stage matches against Milan. Ronaldo made his first post-injury start in a 1–0 El Clásico defeat to Barcelona on 29 November. On 6 December, he was sent off for the first time in his Madrid career in Madrid's 4–2 victory against Almería, a match which also saw him miss a penalty. He was carded first for removing his shirt during a goal celebration, then for kicking out at an opponent three minutes later. Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín scored 53 league goals during the course of the season and became Real's highest scoring league duo in their history.

2010–11 season

With the departure of Raúl during the summer of 2010, Ronaldo was handed the number 7 jersey. On 23 October 2010, Ronaldo scored four goals against Racing Santander, the most goals he has ever scored in a single match. This completed a goalscoring run of six consecutive matches (3 La Liga, 1 Champions League, 2 international) in which Ronaldo scored in each match, totalling eleven goals, which is the most Ronaldo has scored in a single month. His final match of the year saw him score a hat-trick on a 8-0 trashing of Levante on the Copa del Rey.

Ronaldo began the 2011 with a very promising outlook, specially since Real Madrid acknowledge him to have broken many goalscoring records, prevously settled and held by classic players such as Di Stéfano, Hugo Sánchez or Alday. His year took-off by scoring two vital goals on a tight 3-2 victory over Getafe. He then consolidated his massive performance by scoring a hat-trick and assisting Kaká to score his first league goal after his return from injury, on a 4-2 victory over Villareal on January 9. One game away from the middle of the season, Ronaldo held very clear perspectives of breaking Telmo Zarra and Hugo Sánchez's record of 38 League goals in a single season, since he was the league's top scorer with 22 goals, even above Lionel Messi.

International career

Ronaldo earned his first cap for Portugal in a 1–0 victory against Kazakhstan on 20 August 2003. He was called up for Euro 2004, scoring in a 2–1 group stage loss to eventual champions Greece and in a 2–1 semi-final win over the Netherlands. He was named in the team of the tournament despite finishing with only two goals. He also represented Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

2006 World Cup

Ronaldo was the second-highest scorer in FIFA World Cup qualification in the European zone with seven goals,

During a quarter-final match against England on 1 July 2006, Ronaldo's United teammate Wayne Rooney was sent off for stamping on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho. The English media speculated that Ronaldo had influenced referee Horacio Elizondo's decision by aggressively complaining, after which he was seen in replays winking at the Portuguese bench following Rooney's dismissal. After the match, Ronaldo insisted that Rooney was a friend and that he was not pushing for Rooney to be sent off. On 4 July, Elizondo clarified that the red card was due to Rooney's infraction and not the fracas between Rooney and Ronaldo that followed.

The angry reaction from the English press caused Ronaldo to consider leaving United, and he allegedly told Spanish sports daily Marca that he wished to move to Real Madrid. In response to the speculation, Ferguson sent Portuguese assistant manager Carlos Queiroz to speak to Ronaldo in attempt to change his mind, a sentiment that was shared by Rooney. Ronaldo stayed, and signed his new five-year extension in April 2007.

Ronaldo was booed during Portugal's semi-final defeat to France, and missed out on the competition's Best Young Player award due to a negative e-mail campaign from England fans. Though the online vote only affected the nomination process, FIFA's Technical Study Group awarded the honour to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing Ronaldo's behaviour as a factor in the decision.

Post-World Cup

One day after his 22nd birthday, Ronaldo captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly against Brazil on 6 February 2007. This move was in honour of Portuguese Football Federation president Carlos Silva, who had died two days earlier. Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari explained, "Mr. Silva asked me to make [Ronaldo] captain as a gesture... [he] is too young to be captain, but Mr. Silva asked me, and now he is no longer with us."

Euro 2008

Ronaldo scored eight goals in Portugal's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, behind Poland's Ebi Smolarek, but finished with only one goal in the tournament as Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Germany. When Carlos Queiroz was named Portugal's new coach in July 2008, he appointed Ronaldo as team captain.

2010 World Cup

On 15 June 2010, in Portugal's opening 2010 FIFA World Cup match against Côte d'Ivoire, Ronaldo was tackled by right-back Guy Demel, which led to an argument and both being booked. The next day, Portugal contacted FIFA to suggest that Ronaldo's yellow card be rescinded since he was "pulled into" the confrontation after having already moved away from the spot where he was tackled, but the appeal was rejected.

Ronaldo failed to make an impact in the World Cup; after going scoreless in the qualifiers, his only goal came in Portugal's 7–0 group stage thrashing of North Korea on 21 June, which marked his first international goal in sixteen months. Portugal were ultimately eliminated by Spain in the round of sixteen.

International goals

Career statistics

Club

Statistics accurate as of match played 13 January 2011

Honours

Club

;Manchester United

Individual

Orders

Officer of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique

Medal of Merit, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (House of Braganza)

Personal life

Ronaldo's father, José Dinis Aveiro, died of an alcoholism-related liver condition in September 2005 at age 52 when Ronaldo was 20. Ronaldo's mother and Manchester United coach have stated that he does not drink alcohol as a result, and he has received libel damages over a Daily Mirror article that reported him drinking heavily in a nightclub while recovering from an injury in July 2008.

Ronaldo's autobiography, titled Moments, was published in December 2007. Along with one of his sisters, Ronaldo opened a fashion boutique under the name "CR7" (his initials and shirt number). There are currently two CR7 store locations, both of which are in Portugal; one in Lisbon and the other in Madeira.

On 9 June 2010, Madame Tussauds London unveiled Ronaldo's waxwork as part of the build-up to the World Cup. Ronaldo joins fellow footballers Steven Gerrard, Pelé and David Beckham at the event's venue.

Ronaldo announced that he had become a father on 3 July 2010. His official Facebook and Twitter pages reference the birth of his son and request privacy. is in full custody of Ronaldo and under the care of his mother and sisters.

On August 2010, Ronaldo hit 10 million fans on Facebook and in doing so made history by becoming the first non-US personality ever to achieve that kind of success on the social networking site.

Since the start of 2010 he has been dating Russian model Irina Shayk.

Philanthropy

Television footage of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami showed an 8 year old boy wearing a number 7 Portuguese football jersey who was stranded for 19 days after his family was killed. Following this, Ronaldo visited Aceh in Indonesia to raise funds for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

In support of the victims of the 2010 Madeira flood, Ronaldo is to play in a charity match in Madeira between the Portuguese Liga club Porto and players from Madeiran based Portuguese Liga clubs Marítimo and Nacional.

References

External links

Real Madrid official profile

2010 FIFA World Cup profile

ESPN Profile

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:Portuguese footballers Category:Association football wingers Category:Portugal international footballers Category:Primeira Liga players Category:Sporting Clube de Portugal footballers Category:Premier League players Category:First Division/Premier League topscorers Category:Manchester United F.C. players Category:UEFA Euro 2004 players Category:Olympic footballers of Portugal Category:Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:Madeiran footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:UEFA Euro 2008 players Category:European Footballer of the Year winners Category:FIFA World Player of the Year winners Category:World Soccer Magazine World Player of the Year winners Category:Real Madrid C.F. players Category:La Liga footballers Category:Portuguese Roman Catholics Category:Portuguese expatriates in Spain Category:Expatriate footballers in Spain Category:Golden Globes (Portugal) winners Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players

Playername	Ronaldinho
Caption	Ronaldinho with Brazil
Fullname	Ronaldo de Assis Moreira
Dateofbirth	March 21, 1980
Cityofbirth	Porto Alegre
Countryofbirth	Brazil
Height
Position	Forward / Attacking midfielder
Currentclub	Flamengo
Clubnumber	10
Youthyears1	1987–1998 |youthclubs1 = Grêmio
Years1	1998–2001 |clubs1 = Grêmio |caps1 = 44 |goals1 = 21
Years2	2001–2003 |clubs2 = Paris Saint-Germain |caps2 = 55 |goals2 = 17
Years3	2003–2008 |clubs3 = Barcelona |caps3 = 145 |goals3 = 69
Years4	2008–2011 |clubs4 = Milan |caps4 = 65 |goals4 = 20
Years5	2011– |clubs5 = Flamengo |caps5 = 0 |goals5 = 0
Nationalyears1	1999– |nationalteam1 = Brazil |nationalcaps1 = 88 | nationalgoals1 = 32
Medaltemplates	}}

| pcupdate = 15 May 2010 | ntupdate = 5 April 2009 }}

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980 in Porto Alegre), commonly known as Ronaldinho () or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team. He is a free-kick specialist and has exceptional dribbling ability.

"Ronaldinho," the diminutive and term of endearment for "Ronaldo," is accompanied in Brazilian usage by the nickname "Gaúcho," in order to distinguish him from fellow footballer and countryman Ronaldo, who was known as "Ronaldinho" in Brazil beforehand. Ronaldo simply went by his first name upon his move to Europe, thereby allowing Ronaldinho to drop the "Gaúcho" and go by the name Ronaldinho abroad.

Prior to his move to Flamengo, he played for Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona and Milan. With the Spanish club, he won his first Champions League in 2006 and the Ballon d'Or in 2005. He became a Spanish citizen in January 2007.

Biography

Ronaldinho was born in the city of Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul. His mother, Dona Miguelina de Assis, is a former salesperson who studied to become a nurse. His father, João Moreira, was a shipyard worker and footballer for local club Esporte Clube Cruzeiro (not to be confused with Cruzeiro). He suffered a fatal heart attack in the family swimming pool when Ronaldinho was eight. After Ronaldinho's older brother, Roberto, signed with Grêmio, the family moved to a home in the more affluent Guarujá section of Porto Alegre, which was a gift from Grêmio to convince Roberto to stay at the club. Roberto's career was ultimately cut short by injury.

Ronaldinho's football skills began to blossom at an early age, and he was first given the nickname Ronaldinho because he was often the youngest and the smallest player in youth club matches. He developed an interest in futsal and beach football, which later expanded to organized football. His first brush with the media came at the age of thirteen, when he scored all 23 goals in a 23–0 victory against a local team. Ronaldinho was identified as a rising star at the 1997 U-17 World Championship in Egypt, in which he scored two goals on penalty kicks.

Today, Roberto acts as Ronaldinho's manager, while his sister Deisi works as his press coordinator. Ronaldinho became a father for the first time on 25 February 2005, after Brazilian dancer Janaína Mendes gave birth to their son, who was named João after Ronaldinho's late father.

Ronaldinho's 2005 Nike advertisement, where he is given a new pair of boots and then proceeds to juggle a football and repeatedly volley it against the crossbar of a goal and recover it without the ball touching the ground, went viral on YouTube, becoming the site's first video to reach one million views.

In 2010 during his vacations in Rio de Janeiro, where 50 Cent was on a concert, 50 Cent called Ronaldinho as a special guest for his concert where the Brazilian player danced with his characteristic big smile.

Club career

Early career

Ronaldinho's career began with the Grêmio youth squad. He made his senior side debut during the 1998 Copa Libertadores. In 2001, Arsenal 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, which never happened due to his involvement in a fake passport scandal in Brazil. In 2001, Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract with French side Paris Saint-Germain in a €5.1 million transfer.

Paris Saint-Germain

Upon his arrival in Paris, Ronaldinho was given the number 21 shirt and inserted into a lineup that included fellow Brazilian Aloísio and midfielders Mikel Arteta and Jay-Jay Okocha. Ronaldinho made his league debut for the club on 4 August 2001 appearing as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Auxerre. Ronaldinho spent the majority of the 2001 portion of the season alternated between the bench and starter's role. He scored his first goal for the club on 13 October in a 2–2 draw against Lyon converting the equalizing penalty in the 79th minute after having come on 10 minutes prior. After returning from the winter break, Ronaldinho went on a tear scoring a goal in four consecutive matches to open the new campaign. He recorded impressive goals against Monaco, Rennes, Lens and Lorient. On 16 March 2002, Ronaldinho recorded a double in PSG's 3–1 victory against relegation strugglers Troyes. He scored his final league goal of the season in the club's 2–0 win over Metz on 27 April.

Ronaldinho was also influential in the 2001–02 edition of the Coupe de la Ligue helping Paris Saint-Germain reach the semi-finals where they were eliminated by Bordeaux. In a Round of 16 match against Guingamp, Ronaldinho scored two second half goals in the game after having entered the match as a half-time substitute. Despite Ronaldinho's initial success with the club, the season was marred by controversy with Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Fernández claiming that the Brazilian was too focused on the Parisian nightlife rather than football, and complained that his holidays in Brazil never ended at the scheduled times.

at NASA's Johnson Space Center.]]

With his contract expiring in 2008, Ronaldinho 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.

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 2005 FIFPro World XI, and being named the 2005 European Footballer of the Year. Also that year, Ronaldinho added to his collection a second FIFA World Player of the Year with 956 points, more than triple the amount (306) of runner-up Frank Lampard. On 19 November, Ronaldinho scored twice as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3–0 on the road in the first leg of El Clásico. After he sealed the match with his second goal, he received a standing ovation from the Madrid fans.

Ronaldinho was chosen for the UEFA Team of the Year for the third consecutive time in January 2006, and he contributed one goal in Barcelona's elimination of Benfica in the 2005–06 Champions League quarterfinals with a 2–0 home victory. After a 1–0 semifinal aggregate win over Milan, in which Ronaldinho assisted the series' only goal by Ludovic Giuly, Barcelona progressed to the Champions League final, which they won on 17 May 2006 with a 2–1 defeat of Arsenal. 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 26 goals in all competitions, and was named the 2005–06 Champions League Player of the Year.

On 25 November 2006, Ronaldinho scored his 50th career league goal against Villarreal, 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 América on 14 December, 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 with over 290,000 nominations. He was forced to miss a charity match on 13 March due to an injury he had picked up several days earlier in Barcelona's 3–3 El Clásico draw with Real Madrid.

He played his 200th career match for Barcelona in a league match against Osasuna on 3 February 2008. However, his 2007–08 campaign as a whole was plagued by injuries, and a muscle tear in his right leg on 3 April prematurely ended his season. On 19 May, Laporta stated that Ronaldinho needed a "new challenge," claiming that he needed a new club if he were to revive his career. Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra confirmed on 6 June 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 28 June, 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. In preparation for the 2010 Joan Gamper Trophy, Ronaldinho sent an open letter to the fans and players of Barcelona, stating that his best years had been the five he spent in the Catalan club.

Milan

In July 2008, Ronaldinho turned down a £25.5 million offer from Manchester City to join Italian Serie A giants Milan on a three-year contract thought to be worth around £5.1 million (€6.5 million) a year, for a fee in the region of £14.5 million (€18.5 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 goal for Milan in a 1–0 derby victory over rival Internazionale on 28 September 2008. His first brace was in a 3–0 win over Sampdoria on 19 October 2008. He scored a 93rd-minute match-winner against Braga in the UEFA Cup group stage on November 6.

He finished his first season at Milan with 10 goals from 32 appearances in all competitions. After a good start to the season, Ronaldinho struggled with fitness, and was often played from the bench to end a disappointing first season for Milan.

His second season did not begin on a high note, although he started nearly every match before finding himself on the bench again. After a while, Ronaldinho rediscovered his form and has been arguably Milan's best player in the season. He has changed his role from an attacking midfielder to a left winger, a more familiar role.

On 10 January 2010, Ronaldinho scored two goals against Juventus in an away match, sealing a 3–0 victory for the Rossoneri. In the following match against Siena on 17 January 2010, Ronaldinho scored his first hat-trick for Milan when he converted a spot kick, scored with a header from a corner and finished with a wonder goal from 30 yards out.

On 16 February, Ronaldinho played his first match against Manchester United in a Champions League game. He scored early in the game to give Milan the lead. Milan ended up losing the game 3–2, with a goal from Paul Scholes and two goals from Wayne Rooney.

As of 13 April 2010, Ronaldinho is the assist leader of Serie A with a total of 13 assists. On a less positive note, Ronaldinho has so far missed three penalties in the 2009–10 season, to add to one botched kick the previous season. Ronaldinho ended the season scoring two goals against Juventus, Luca Antonini opened the scoring and Milan went on to win 3–0. It was Leonardo's last game in charge.

Flamengo

Ronaldinho joined Flamengo on 11 January 2011 with a contract ending in 2014 after being heavily linked with moves to Blackburn Rovers, Palmeiras and and his old club Grêmio.

International career

Ronaldinho is one of few Brazilian players to have played at every international age level. He was part of the first Brazilian team to win the FIFA U-17 World Championship in 1997, in which his first goal was a penalty against Austria in the first group match, which Brazil won 7–0. Ronaldinho finished with two goals and was awarded the Bronze Ball award as Brazil scored a total of twenty-one goals while only conceding two.

1999 was a busy year for Ronaldinho in terms of international play. He took part in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, scoring his first goal in Brazil's last group match. In the round of sixteen, he scored two first-half goals in a 4–0 win over Croatia, and finished with three goals as Brazil were eliminated by Uruguay in the quarterfinals. On 26 June, three days before the start of the 1999 Copa América, he earned his first cap for Brazil in a 3–0 win over Latvia, and he scored one goal during Brazil's victorious Copa América campaign. One week after the conclusion of the Copa América, he was called up for the 1999 Confederations Cup, in which he scored in every match except the final, including a hat-trick in an 8–2 semifinal rout of Saudi Arabia. Ronaldinho did not score in the final, which Brazil lost 4–3 to Mexico. He won the Golden Ball award for the best player in tournament as well as the Golden Boot award for the tournament top-scorer.

In 2000, Ronaldinho participated in Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia with Brazil U-23 team. Earlier that year, Ronaldinho led Brazil to win the Pre-Olympic Tournament, scoring nine goals in seven matches. However in the Olympics, Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinal by Cameroon, who later won the gold medal. Ronaldinho appeared four times and scored only one goal, which came in the quarterfinal defeat by Cameroon.

Ronaldinho participated in his first World Cup in 2002, as part of a formidable offensive unit with Ronaldo and Rivaldo, who were also on the 1999 Copa América winning squad. He appeared in five matches and scored two goals, as well as contributing several important assists. His first goal came in the group stage match against China, which Brazil won 4–0. The second goal was a match-winning goal in the quarterfinal against England on 21 June. In the 50th minute, Ronaldinho took a free-kick from 35 metres, beating England goalkeeper David Seaman to give Brazil a 2–1 lead. However, seven minutes later, he was sent-off for a foul on England defender Danny Mills. He was suspended for the semifinal, but returned to Brazil's starting lineup for the 2–0 victory over Germany in the final as Brazil won the World Cup for the fifth time.

Ronaldinho's next international tournament was 2003 Confederations Cup. However, Ronaldinho did not manage to score any goals during the tournament as Brazil performed poorly and was eliminated in the group stage. The following year, he was left out from Brazil's 2004 Copa América squad, as coach Carlos Alberto Parreira decided to rest his stars and used a largely reserve squad.

He was the capitain of Brazil to its second Confederations Cup title in 2005, and was named Man of the Match in a 4–1 victory over archrivals Argentina in the final on 29 June. Ronaldinho scored three goals in the tournament and is tied with Cuauhtémoc Blanco as the tournament's all-time scorer with nine goals.

.]] Ronaldinho started in all five of Brazil's 2006 World Cup finals matches as part of a much-publicized "magic quartet" of offensive players, alongside Adriano, Ronaldo, and Kaká. However, the foursome finished with only five goals as Brazil disappointed as a whole in the tournament. Ronaldinho turned in his worst collective performance in his international career, going scoreless with only one assist, which was for Gilberto's goal in a 4–1 group stage victory over Japan. He was a non-factor as Brazil was eliminated by France 1–0 in the quarter-finals, in which Brazil had only one shot on goal for the entire match. The team was harshly criticized by Brazilian fans and media following their return home. On 3 July, two days after Brazil's elimination, vandals immolated and destroyed a 7.5-meter (23-foot) tall fiberglass and resin statue of Ronaldinho in Chapecó. The statue had been erected in 2004 to celebrate his first FIFA World Player of the Year award. That same day, Ronaldinho, joined by Adriano, returned to Barcelona and held a party at his home, which was continued into the early morning hours at a nightclub. This aggravated the hard feelings of many Brazilian fans, who believed that they were betrayed by the lack of effort from the squad.

On 24 March 2007, he scored twice in a 4–0 win over Chile, which marked his first goal since the 2005 Confederations Cup final and thus ended a scoreless streak that lasted nearly two years. He was not called up for the 2007 Copa América after asking to be excused from the tournament due to tiredness. On 18 October, he was controversially benched by Barcelona after he was late returning to Spain following Brazil's 5–0 friendly win over Ecuador. He and several Brazil players celebrated the win by partying through the night at a posh Rio de Janeiro nightclub. Ronaldinho left at 11 a.m. the next morning, allegedly in the trunk of a car in order to avoid the media.

On 7 July 2008, Ronaldinho was named to Brazil's 2008 Summer Olympics squad as one of the over-age players. Barcelona initially blocked the move because of his then-upcoming Champions League commitments with the club, but the decision was later nullified following Ronaldinho's transfer to Milan, who in turn permitted him to make the trip to Beijing. Ronaldinho scored his only two goals in a decisive 5–0 victory over New Zealand before Brazil were beaten by Argentina in the semifinal. Brazil finished with the bronze medal after defeating Belgium 3–0 in the bronze medal match.

Despite having returned to good form and being named as a member of the 30-man provisional squad that was submitted to FIFA on 11 May 2010, he was not named in Coach Dunga's final squad of 23 for the Brazilian squad in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup despite his deep desire to do so. Critics have claimed that the exclusion of players such as Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato, Adriano and Ronaldo signals a move away from the classic Brazilian attacking "Joga Bonito" style of play.

Career statistics

International career

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="font-size:90%" |- !colspan="7"|International appearances and goals |- ! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Result !! Goal !! Competition |- !colspan="7"|1999 |- | 1. || June 26, 1999 || Curitiba, Brazil || || 3 – 0 || 0 || Friendly |- | 2. || June 30, 1999 || Ciudad del Este, Paraguay || || 7 – 0 || 1 || Copa América 1999 |- | 3. || July 3, 1999 || Ciudad del Este, Paraguay || || 2 – 1 || 0 || Copa América 1999 |- | 4. || July 6, 1999 || Ciudad del Este, Paraguay || || 1 – 0 || 0 || Copa América 1999 |- | 5. || July 15, 1999 || Ciudad del Este, Paraguay || || 2 – 0 || 0 || Copa América 1999 |- | 6. || July 24, 1999 || Guadalajara, Mexico || || 4 – 0 || 1 || 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup |- | 7. || July 28, 1999 || Guadalajara, Mexico || || 1 – 0 || 1 || 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup |- | 8. || July 30, 1999 || Guadalajara, Mexico || || 2 – 0 || 1 || 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup |- | 9. || August 1, 1999 || Guadalajara, Mexico || || 8 – 2 || 3 || 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup |- | 10. || August 4, 1999 || Mexico City, Mexico || || 3 – 4 || 0 || 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup |- | 11. || September 4, 1999 || Buenos Aires, Argentina || || 0 – 2 || 0 || Friendly |- | 12. || September 7, 1999 || Porto Alegre, Brazil || || 4 – 2 || 0 || Friendly |- | 13. || October 9, 1999 || Amsterdam, Netherlands || || 2 – 2 || 0 || Friendly |- style="background:#cfc;" | || November 14, 1999 || Sydney, Australia || || 2 – 0 || 0 || Friendly (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || November 17, 1999 || Melbourne, Australia || || 2 – 2 || 1 || Friendly (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || December 10, 1999 || Cuiabá, Brazil || || 3 – 0 || 0 || Friendly (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || December 14, 1999 || Campo Grande, Brazil || || 3 – 3 || 0 || Friendly (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- !colspan="7"|2000 |- style="background:#cfc;" | || January 12, 2000 || Florianópolis, Brazil || || 7 – 0 || 2 || Friendly (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || January 15, 2000 || Maringá, Brazil || || 4 – 1 || 0 || Friendly (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || January 19, 2000 || Londrina, Brazil || || 1 – 1 || 0 || 2000 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || January 23, 2000 || Londrina, Brazil || || 2 – 0 || 1 || 2000 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || January 26, 2000 || Londrina, Brazil || || 3 – 0 || 2 || 2000 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || January 30, 2000 || Londrina, Brazil || || 9 – 0 || 2 || 2000 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || February 2, 2000 || Curitiba, Brazil || || 4 – 2 || 3 || 2000 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || February 4, 2000 || Curitiba, Brazil || || 3 – 1 || 1 || 2000 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || February 6, 2000 || Curitiba, Brazil || || 2 – 2 || 0 || 2000 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- | 14. || February 23, 2000 || Bangkok, Thailand || || 7 – 0 || 1 || 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 15. || March 28, 2000 || Bogotá, Colombia || || 0 – 0 || 0 || 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 16. || June 28, 2000 || Rio de Janeiro, Brazil || || 1 – 1 || 0 || 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 17. || July 26, 2000 || São Paulo, Brazil || || 3 – 1 || 0 || 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |- style="background:#cfc;" | || August 9, 2000 || Ovalle, Chile || || 5 – 3 || 2 || Friendly (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || August 12, 2000 || Florianópolis, Brazil || || 3 – 0 || 0 || Friendly (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- | 18. || September 3, 2000 || Rio de Janeiro, Brazil || || 5 – 0 || 0 || 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |- style="background:#cfc;" | || September 14, 2008 || Brisbane, Australia || || 3 – 1 || 0 || 2000 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || September 17, 2008 || Brisbane, Australia || || 1 – 3 || 0 || 2000 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || September 20, 2008 || Brisbane, Australia || || 1 – 0 || 0 || 2000 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || September 23, 2008 || Brisbane, Australia || || 1 – 2 || 1 || 2000 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- !colspan="7"|2001 |- | 19. || March 3, 2001 || Pasadena, United States || || 2 – 1 || 1 || Friendly |- | 20. || March 7, 2001 || Guadalajara, Mexico || || 3 – 3 || 0 || Friendly |- | 21. || March 28, 2001 || Quito, Ecuador || || 0 – 1 || 0 || 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |- !colspan="7"|2001–2002 |- | 22. || November 14, 2001 || São Luís, Brazil || || 3 – 0 || 0 || 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 23. || March 27, 2002 || Fortaleza, Brazil || || 1 – 0 || 0 || Friendly |- | 24. || April 17, 2002 || Lisbon, Portugal || || 1 – 1 || 1 || Friendly |- style="background:#8fcfdf;" | || May 18, 2002 || Barcelona, Spain || Catalonia || 3 – 1 || 2 || Unofficial friendly |- | 25. || May 25, 2002 || Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia || || 4 – 1 || 0 || Friendly |- | 26. || June 3, 2002 || Ulsan, South Korea || || 2 – 1 || 0 || 2002 FIFA World Cup |- | 27. || June 8, 2002 || Seogwipo, South Korea || || 4 – 0 || 1 || 2002 FIFA World Cup |- | 28. || June 17, 2002 || Kobe, Japan || || 2 – 0 || 0 || 2002 FIFA World Cup |- | 29. || June 21, 2002 || Fukuroi, Japan || || 2 – 1 || 1 || 2002 FIFA World Cup |- | 30. || June 30, 2002 || Yokohama, Japan || || 2 – 0 || 0 || 2002 FIFA World Cup |- !colspan="7"|2002–2003 |- | 31. || August 21, 2002 || Fortaleza, Brazil || || 0 – 1 || 0 || Friendly |- | 32. || November 20, 2002 || Seoul, South Korea || || 3 – 2 || 1 || Friendly |- | 33. || February 12, 2003 || Guangzhou, China PR || || 0 – 0 || 0 || Friendly |- | 34. || March 29, 2003 || Porto, Portugal || || 1 – 2 || 1 || Friendly |- | 35. || April 30, 2003 || Guadalajara, Mexico || || 0 – 0 || 0 || Friendly |- | 36. || June 11, 2003 || Abuja, Nigeria || || 3 – 0 || 0 || Friendly |- | 37. || June 19, 2003 || Saint-Denis, France || || 0 – 1 || 0 || 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup |- | 38. || June 21, 2003 || Lyon, France || || 1 –0 || 0 || 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup |- | 39. || June 23, 2003 || Saint-Étienne, France || || 2 – 2 || 0 || 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup |- !colspan="7"|2003–2004 |- | 40. || September 10, 2003 || Manaus, Brazil || || 1 – 0 || 1 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 41. || February 18, 2004 || Dublin, Ireland || || 0 – 0 || 0 || Friendly |- | 42. || March 31, 2004 || Asunción, Paraguay || || 0 – 0 || 0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 43. || April 28, 2004 || Budapest, Hungary || || 4 – 1 || 1 || Friendly |- | 44. || May 20, 2004 || Saint-Denis, France || || 0 – 0 || 0 || Friendly |- style="background:#8fcfdf;" | || May 25, 2004 || Barcelona, Spain || Catalonia || 5 – 2 || 0 || Unofficial friendly |- !colspan="7"|2004–2005 |- | 45. || August 18, 2004 || Port-au-Prince, Haiti || || 6 – 0 || 3 || Friendly |- | 46. || September 5, 2004 || São Paulo, Brazil || || 3 – 1 || 1 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 47. || September 8, 2004 || Berlin, Germany || || 1 – 1 || 1 || Friendly |- | 48. || October 9, 2004 || Maracaibo, Venezuela || || 5 – 2 || 0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 49. || October 13, 2004 || Maceió, Brazil || || 0 – 0 || 0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 50. || November 17, 2004 || Quito, Ecuador || || 0 – 1 || 0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 51. || February 9, 2005 || Hong Kong || || 7 – 1 || 1 || Friendly |- | 52. || March 27, 2005 || Goiânia, Brazil || || 1 – 0 || 0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 53. || March 30, 2005 || Montevideo, Uruguay || || 1 – 1 || 0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 54. || June 5, 2005 || Porto Alegre, Brazil || || 4 – 1 || 2 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 55. || June 8, 2005 || Buenos Aires, Argentina || || 1 – 3 || 0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 56. || June 16, 2005 || Leipzig, Germany || || 3 – 0 || 0 || 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup |- | 57. || June 19, 2005 || Hanover, Germany || || 0 – 1 || 0 || 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup |- | 58. || June 22, 2005 || Cologne, Germany || || 2 – 2 || 1 || 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup |- | 59. || June 25, 2005 || Nuremberg, Germany || || 3 – 2 || 1 || 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup |- | 60. || June 29, 2005 || Frankfurt, Germany || || 4 – 1 || 1 || 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup |- !colspan="7"|2005–2006 |- style="background:#8fcfdf;" | || September 6, 2005 || Seville, Spain || Sevilla FC || 1 – 1 || 0 || Unofficial friendly |- | 61. || October 12, 2005 || Belém, Brazil || || 3 – 0 || 0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 62. || November 12, 2005 || Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates || || 8 – 0 || 0 || Friendly |- style="background:#8fcfdf;" | || May 30, 2006 || Basel, Switzerland || FC Lucerne Selection || 8 – 0 || 0 || Unofficial friendly |- | 63. || June 4, 2006 || Geneva, Switzerland || || 4 – 0 || 0 || Friendly |- | 64. || June 13, 2006 || Berlin, Germany || || 1 – 0 || 0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup |- | 65. || June 18, 2006 || Munich, Germany || || 2 – 0 || 0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup |- | 66. || June 22, 2006 || Dortmund, Germany || || 4 – 1 || 0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup |- | 67. || June 27, 2006 || Dortmund, Germany || || 3 – 0 || 0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup |- | 68. || July 1, 2006 || Frankfurt, Germany || || 0 – 1 || 0 || 2006 FIFA World Cup |- !colspan="7"|2006–2007 |- | 69. || September 5, 2006 || London, England || || 2 – 0 || 0 || Friendly |- style="background:#8fcfdf;" | || October 7, 2006 || Kuwait City, Kuwait || Al Kuwait Selection || 4 – 0 || 0 || Unofficial friendly |- | 70. || October 10, 2006 || Stockholm, Sweden || || 2 – 1 || 0 || Friendly |- | 71. || November 15, 2006 || Basel, Switzerland || || 2 – 1 || 0 || Friendly |- | 72. || March 24, 2007 || Gothenburg, Sweden || || 4 – 0 || 2 || Friendly |- | 73. || March 27, 2007 || Stockholm, Sweden || || 1 – 0 || 0 || Friendly |- | 74. || June 1, 2007 || London, England || || 1 – 1 || 0 || Friendly |- | 75. || June 5, 2007 || Dortmund, Germany || || 0 – 0 || 0 || Friendly |- !colspan="7"|2007–2008 |- | 76. || August 22, 2007 || Montpellier, France || || 2 – 0 || 1 || Friendly |- | 77. || September 9, 2007 || Chicago, United States || || 4 – 2 || 1 || Friendly |- | 78. || September 12, 2007 || Boston, United States || || 3 – 1 || 0 || Friendly |- | 79. || October 14, 2007 || Bogotá, Colombia || || 0 – 0 || 0 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 80. || October 17, 2007 || Rio de Janeiro, Brazil || || 5 – 0 || 1 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 81. || November 18, 2007 || Lima, Peru || || 1 – 1 || 0 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 82. || November 21, 2007 || São Paulo, Brazil || || 2 – 1 || 0 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |- !colspan="7"|2008–2009 |- style="background:#cfc;" | || July 28, 2008 || Singapore || || 3 – 0 || 1 || Friendly (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || August 1, 2008 || Hanoi, Vietnam || || 3 – 0 || 0 || Friendly (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || August 7, 2008 || Shenyang, China PR || || 1 – 0 || 0 || 2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || August 10, 2008 || Shenyang, China PR || || 5 – 0 || 2 || 2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || August 13, 2008 || Qinhuangdao, China PR || || 3 – 0 || 0 || 2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || August 16, 2008 || Shenyang, China PR || || 2 – 0 || 0 || 2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || August 19, 2008 || Beijing, China PR || || 0 – 3 || 0 || 2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- style="background:#cfc;" | || August 22, 2008 || Shanghai, China PR || || 3 – 0 || 0 || 2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23/Olympic) |- | 83. || September 7, 2008 || Santiago, Chile || || 3 – 0 || 0 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 84. || September 10, 2008 || Rio de Janeiro, Brazil || || 0 – 0 || 0 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 85. || February 10, 2009 || London, England || || 2 – 0 || 0 || Friendly |- | 86. || March 29, 2009 || Quito, Ecuador || || 1 – 1 || 0 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 87. || April 1, 2009 || Porto Alegre, Brazil || || 3 – 0 || 0 || 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |- !colspan="7"|2010–2011 |- | 88. || November 17, 2010 || Doha, Qatar || || 0 – 1 || 0 || Friendly |}

Honours

Club

;Grêmio

South Cup: 1999

Rio Grande do Sul State Championship: 1999

;Paris Saint-Germain

UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001

;Barcelona

La Liga (2): 2004–05, 2005–06

Supercopa de España (2): 2005, 2006

UEFA Champions League (1): 2005–06

International

;Brazil U-17

FIFA U-17 World Cup (1): 1997

;Brazil

Copa América (1): 1999

FIFA World Cup (1): 2002

FIFA Confederations Cup (1): 2005

Individual

FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 1999

FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Shoe: 1999

Rio Grande do Sul State Championship Top Scorer: 1999

FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2002

FIFA 100

Don Balón Award (2): 2003-04, 2005–06

EFE Trophy (1): 2004

FIFA World Player of the Year (2): 2004, 2005

UEFA Club Best Forward (1): 2004-05

European Footballer of the Year (1): 2005

FIFPro World Player of the Year (2): 2005, 2006

UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (1): 2005-06

UEFA Team of the Year (3): 2003-04, 2004–05, 2005–06

FIFPro World XI (3): 2004-05, 2005–06, 2006–07

Golden Foot (1): 2009

References

External links

Tactical Profile - Football-Lineups.com

European Champions Cup/UEFA Champions League Winning Squads

Ronaldinho Gaúcho Official Website

Ronaldinho profile at FC Barcelona website

Ronaldinho profile at AC Milan website

Ronaldinho profile at FIFA website

FootballDatabase career stats

Ronaldinho profile at BBC Sport website

Ronaldinho career stats at Futpédia

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:People from Porto Alegre Category:1999 Copa América players Category:1999 FIFA Confederations Cup players Category:2002 FIFA World Cup players Category:2003 FIFA Confederations Cup players Category:2005 FIFA Confederations Cup players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:Brazilian footballers Category:Brazilian people of Black African descent Category:Brazil international footballers Category:Brazilian expatriate footballers Category:Brazilian expatriates in France Category:Brazilian expatriates in Spain Category:Expatriate footballers in France Category:Expatriate footballers in Spain Category:Expatriate footballers in Italy Category:European Footballer of the Year winners Category:FC Barcelona footballers Category:FIFA 100 Category:FIFA Confederations Cup-winning players Category:FIFA World Cup-winning players Category:FIFA World Player of the Year winners Category:Association football forwards Category:Footballers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:Clube de Regatas do Flamengo players Category:Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense players Category:La Liga footballers Category:People with acquired Spanish citizenship Category:Naturalised citizens of Spain Category:Spanish people of Brazilian descent Category:Olympic footballers of Brazil Category:Paris Saint-Germain F.C. players Category:A.C. Milan players Category:Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Brazil Category:Serie A footballers Category:Ligue 1 players