| Ronaldinho |
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Ronaldo de Assís Moreira (born , 2007 , accessed 26 March , 2007 . Ronaldinho ( IPA - ), meaning "little Ronaldo", is better known in Brazil by the nickname Ronaldinho '' Gaúcho '', in order to distinguish him from Ronaldo (already called Ronaldinho in Brazil). However, upon Ronaldo's move to Europe, he began to be known simply as 'Ronaldo', thereby allowing Ronaldinho to drop ''Gaúcho'' and remain simply as 'Ronaldinho'. Currently, he plays for FC Barcelona with a contract ending in 2010http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-09/01/content_474139.htm. EARLY LIFE CLUB CAREER Grêmio Ronaldinho's career began in the youth team at Porto Alegre club Grêmio , under head coach Celso Roth , who only played him due to immense pressure from the Gremio supporters. His first senior appearance came in the 1998 Libertadores Cup ,Radnedge, Keir, "The priceless prince of Barcelona", ''World Soccer'', January 2005, pp. 8-9 and his penchant for goalscoring was quickly displayed, his career soon generating interest due to his phenomenal ball control and ability to score. This was followed by his introduction into the Brazilian national team in 1999. Towards the end of his career at Grêmio, in 2001, many clubs from all over the world, particularly Premiership teams in England such as Arsenal who tried but failed, were eager to sign him as an attempt to attain a player who was both a "big name" and was also performing well. Despite several generous bids from Premiership teams (who would not have been able to sign him due to work permit restrictions) and several requests from Grêmio (they offered £ 7000-a-week), Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain FC , to which he moved at the beginning of the following season. Paris Saint-Germain After the 2002 World Cup , having shown his worth on the international scene, there was no shortage of interest from bigger clubs. In 2003, Ronaldinho made it clear he wanted to leave PSG after they failed to qualify for any European competitions. Ronaldinho's desire to leave set off a bidding war among the top European clubs ( Manchester United and FC Barcelona the notable examples) for his services. The club that ended up winning the battle for his services was FC Barcelona. Manchester United also wanted him, but due to the constraints of being a PLC , could not come to an agreement with PSG. Barcelona On July 19 2003 , FC Barcelona acquired Ronaldinho for £ 21 million.6 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 beat Manchester United to his signature. It was thought that a failure on the part of the English and French clubs to agree on a fee was the reason Manchester United's deal fell through. Ronaldinho is also said to have signed with Barcelona instead of Manchester United because of his friendship with former Nike executive in Brazil and Barcelona's then vice-president in charge of sports, Sandro Rosell .Lowe, Sid, "Friends and enemies", ''World Soccer'', August 2005, pp. 18-21 Ronaldinho's signing with Barcelona follows in the footsteps of a number of illustrious fellow countrymen who enjoyed successful careers with the club, including Romário , Ronaldo and Rivaldo . 2003-04 season Barcelona quickly showcased the talents of their new striker in an exhibition match against AC Milan . The match took place in front of a crowd of 45,000 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C . Barcelona had a 1-0 lead through most of the first half, and they increased their lead to 2-0 when Ronaldinho scored in the 51st minute. Having received a short pass from Xavi , Ronaldinho fired a shot that spun around Fernando Redondo and into the net, landing him his first goal for the club. After returning from injury in the first half of the campaign, Ronaldinho continued to justify his price tag by leading Barcelona to a second-place finish in La Liga during the 2003/2004 Season . 2004-05 season Along with Samuel Eto'o , Deco , Xavi , Ludovic Giuly and Henrik Larsson , Ronaldinho comprised part of a strike force which helped bring the 2004-05 La Liga title for FC Barcelona . On December 20, 2004, Ronaldinho was named FIFA World Player Of The Year ahead of Arsenal 's Thierry Henry and AC Milan 's Andriy Shevchenko . It was then that Barcelona rejected a £60 million bid made for him by Chelsea F.C. , according to Sandro Rosell. . 2005-06 season On November 19 , 2005 , Ronaldinho scored two solo goals to help FC Barcelona to a 3–0 win over arch-rivals Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid . After he scored his second goal of the night, his team's third, a large part of the Madrid followers gave him a standing ovation, a rare feat which had not occurred since Diego Maradona played for Barcelona in 1985. In September 2005, Ronaldinho was crowned FIFPro World Player Of The Year , an award voted for by his fellow professionals. He was also named in the FIFPro Team Of The Year alongside the likes of Zidane and Maldini . In November 2005 Ronaldinho was named as both the European Footballer Of The Year and the best striker in the 2004-05 Champions League . In 2005, Ronaldinho became the third Brazilian to win the Ballon D'Or . On December 19 2005 , he was again named FIFA World Player Of The Year with 956 points, more than three times the 306 points of Chelsea 's Frank Lampard , who finished second in the poll, and the 190 points of Barcelona team mate Samuel Eto'o who finished third. He was chosen for the UEFA team of 2005 for the third time running in January 2006. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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