robinho

Manchester City

Robinho playing for Manchester City in 2009

On 1 September 2008, the final day of the Premier League summer transfer window, Robinho completed a €42,500,000 (£32,500,000) move to Manchester City, on a four-year deal. This occurred on the same day the club was bought out by the Arab investment company Abu Dhabi United Group.^[12][13]
He had previously been linked with a transfer to Chelsea,^[14] and he had emphasised his desire to play for the London club up to the eve of the transfer.^[15] On 27 August, Chelsea Chief Executive Peter Kenyon said that the club were "confident" that the transaction would go through,^[16] and Madrid had also given their consent for the player to leave.^[16] Robinho's desire to move to Chelsea was such that upon signing for Man City he accidentally stated "On the last day, Chelsea made a great proposal and I accepted." To this a reporter replied: "You mean Manchester, right?". "Yeah, Manchester, sorry!" answered Robinho.^[17]
In an interview with The Guardian, Robinho stated that Manchester City being a big club and the presence of Brazilian friends Jô and Elano were incentives for him to join the team. He made his team debut and scored his very first Premier League goal on 13 September 2008, ironically in a 3–1 home defeat to Chelsea.^[18] On 26 October, he scored his first Premier League hat-trick against Stoke City,^[19] and he scored his first European goal for Manchester City in a 3–2 UEFA Cup group stage win over Twente on 6 November. He was given the captain's armband for the match against Hull City, due to Richard Dunne's suspension, which ended in a 2–2 draw.
On 19 April, he scored his 13th league goal for Manchester City in the 2–1 win away at Everton on 25 April, Manchester City's first away win since 31 August 2008. The following week, he scored his third consecutive goal in three games, against Blackburn Rovers, to help Manchester City to a 3–1 win. Robinho finished the season as Manchester City's top goal scorer with 14 and the fourth top scorer in the league.
His second season at Manchester City did not go as well. He missed three months of the season due to injury and only played 12 games in total (10 in the Premier League), and scored one goal (against lower league club Scunthorpe United in the FA Cup). Due to this, he fell down the pecking order and sought a move away from the club in the January transfer window

Alexandre Pato

Alexandre Pato, is a BrAlexandre Pato, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Corinthians and the Brazilian national team. His nickname, Pato, refers to his place of birth, Pato Branco. The literal translation of "pato" from Portuguese to English is "duck," which has evolved into a common nickname for him.

Contents

• 1 Club career
  • 1.1 Internacional
  • 1.2 Milan
    • 1.2.1 2007–08 season
    • 1.2.2 2008–09 season
    • 1.2.3 2009–10 season
    • 1.2.4 2010–11 season
    • 1.2.5 2011–12 season
    • 1.2.6 2012–13 season
  • 1.3 Corinthians
• 2 International career
• 3 Personal life
• 4 Statistics
  • 4.1 Club
  • 4.2 Youth international
  • 4.3 Youth International goals
    • 4.3.1 Brazil U-20
    • 4.3.2 Brazil U-23
  • 4.4 International
  • 4.5 International goals
  • 4.6 Career totals
• 5 Honours
  • 5.1 Club
  • 5.2 National team
  • 5.3 Individual
• 6 References
  • 6.1 Publications
  • 6.2 Citations
• 7 External links

azilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Corinthians and the Brazilian national team. His nickname, Pato, refers to his place of birth, Pato Branco. The literal translation of "pato" from Portuguese to English is "duck," which has evolved into a common nickname for him.

Contents

• 1 Club career
  • 1.1 Internacional
  • 1.2 Milan
    • 1.2.1 2007–08 season
    • 1.2.2 2008–09 season
    • 1.2.3 2009–10 season
    • 1.2.4 2010–11 season
    • 1.2.5 2011–12 season
    • 1.2.6 2012–13 season
  • 1.3 Corinthians
• 2 International career
• 3 Personal life
• 4 Statistics
  • 4.1 Club
  • 4.2 Youth international
  • 4.3 Youth International goals
    • 4.3.1 Brazil U-20
    • 4.3.2 Brazil U-23
  • 4.4 International
  • 4.5 International goals
  • 4.6 Career totals
• 5 Honours
  • 5.1 Club
  • 5.2 National team
  • 5.3 Individual
• 6 References
  • 6.1 Publications
  • 6.2 Citations
• 7 External links

c.ronaldo

ristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,^[2] OIH, (born 5 February 1985),^[3] commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and who serves as captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo became the most expensive footballer in history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth £80 million (€93.9 million/$131.6 million). In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is paid €12 million per year, makes him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world,^[4] and his buyout clause is valued at €1 billion as per his contract.^[5]
Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who signed him for £12.24 million (€15 million) in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup.
Ronaldo was the first player to win all four main PFA and FWA awards, doing so in 2007. In 2008, Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or.^[6] He placed second in the Ballon d'Or in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012. He was awarded the European Golden Shoe in both 2008 and 2011. In 2008, he won three of the four main PFA and FWA trophies and was named the FIFPro Player of the Year, World Soccer Player of the Year, Onze d'Or, and the FIFA World Player of the Year.^[7][8][9] In 2007 and 2008, Ronaldo was named FWA Footballer of the Year. Ronaldo was the inaugural winner of the FIFA Puskás Award in 2009.
Ronaldo holds numerous former and current scoring records, including records for most goals scored in a season for Real Madrid, most goals scored per minute in La Liga, first top European league player to reach 40 goals in a single season in two consecutive years, fastest Real Madrid player to reach one hundred league goals, and the first player ever to score against every team in a single season in La Liga.^[10]
Ronaldo is a Portuguese international and made his debut against Kazakhstan in August 2003. He has since participated in five major tournaments; UEFA Euro 2004, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012. He scored his first international goal in the opening game of the Euro 2004 against Greece, in addition to helping Portugal reach the final. He took over the captaincy of the side in July 2008 and went on to captain Portugal to the semi-finals at the Euro 2012 and finished the competition as the joint best scorer with three goals. On 16 October 2012, Ronaldo won his 100th cap against Northern Ireland, making him the third highest capped player for Portugal and became the third youngest European to reach a century of international appearances.^[11] In October 2012, he became the first sportsperson to reach 50 million followers on Facebook.^[12] Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and passed the landmark of 300 club goals on January 27, 2013.^[13][14] At Real Madrid,Ronaldo has a far higher goals-per-game ratio than Di Stefano's 308 in 396 appearances in the 1950s and 60s when he helped the club to five successive European titles

biodata Kaká

Kaká

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁiˈkaɾdu iˈzɛksõw duˈsɐ̃tus ˈlejtʃi]; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká (Portuguese: [kaˈka] ( listen)), is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid[3] and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club. At the time, he also played tennis,[4] 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 15 that he chose to focus on football. In 2003 he joined 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 transfer fee of €65 million, second only to that of Zinedine Zidane, €75 million. Later Real Madrid transferred Cristiano Ronaldo for a fee of €96 million, setting a new transfer fee record, making Kaká's fee the third highest ever. 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 UN World Food Programme.[5] Kaká is the first sportsperson to amass 10 million followers on Twitter.[6] Contents 1 Early life 2 Club career 2.1 São Paulo 2.2 Milan 2.3 Real Madrid 3 International career 4 Style of play 5 Personal life 6 Career statistics 6.1 Club 6.2 International goals 7 Honours 7.1 Club 7.2 Country 7.3 Individual 8 References 9 External links Early life Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite was born in Gama, in Brazil, to Bosco Izecson Pereira Leite (a civil engineer) and Simone dos Santos (an elementary school teacher).[7] He had a financially secure upbringing that allowed him to focus on both school and football at the same time.[8] His younger brother Rodrigo (best known as Digão) and cousin Eduardo Delani are also professional footballers. When he was seven, Kaká's family moved to São Paulo.[9] His school had arranged him in a local youth club called "Alphaville," who qualified to the final in a local tournament.[10] There he was discovered by hometown club São Paulo FC, who offered an assignment.[11] At the age of 18, Kaká suffered a career-threatening and possibly paralysis-inducing spinal fracture as a result of a swimming pool accident,[12][13] but remarkably made a full recovery. He attributes his recovery to God and has since tithed his income to his church.[13] Club career São Paulo Kaká began his career with São Paulo at the age of eight. He signed a contract at fifteen and led the São Paulo youth squad to Copa de Juvenil glory. He made his senior side debut on 1 Feb 2001 and scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, in addition to leading São Paulo to its first and only Torneio Rio-São Paulo championship, in which he scored two goals in two minutes as a substitute against Botafogo in the final, which São Paulo won 2–1. He scored 10 goals in 22 matches the following season, and by this time his performance was soon attracting attention from European clubs. Kaká made a total of 58 appearances for São Paulo, scoring 23 times.[14] Milan Kaká Kaká and former Brazilian President Lula. 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.[15] 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, Kaká was still voted the best midfielder of the tournament, finishing as one of the top second assist providers, with 4, including the long pass to Paolo Maldini's opening goal in the final. 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. Milan were knocked out in the semifinals. 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 in Moscow 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.[16] He once again finished as the second assist provider of the Champions League, with 5 and was voted the 2007 IFFHS World's Best Playmaker.[17] Kaká with Milan 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.[18] He signed a contract extension through 2013 with Milan on 29 February 2008.[19] 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.[20] 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.[21] He won the honor again in 2009.[22] 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.[23] 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."[24] 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.[25] 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.[26]

Alexandre Pato

Alexandre Pato

Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva (born 2 September 1989), commonly known as Alexandre Pato, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Corinthians and the Brazilian national team. His nickname, Pato, refers to his place of birth, Pato Branco. The literal translation of "pato" from Portuguese to English is "duck," which has evolved into a common nickname for him. Contents 1 Club career 1.1 Internacional 1.2 Milan 1.2.1 2007–08 season 1.2.2 2008–09 season 1.2.3 2009–10 season 1.2.4 2010–11 season 1.2.5 2011–12 season 1.2.6 2012–13 season 1.3 Corinthians 2 International career 3 Personal life 4 Statistics 4.1 Club 4.2 Youth international 4.3 Youth International goals 4.3.1 Brazil U-20 4.3.2 Brazil U-23 4.4 International 4.5 International goals 4.6 Career totals 5 Honours 5.1 Club 5.2 National team 5.3 Individual 6 References 6.1 Publications 6.2 Citations 7 External links Club career Internacional In June 2006, at only 16 years of age, Pato was signed by Sport Club Internacional to compete in the Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-20. Despite the fact that he was competing against players up to four years older than he was, Pato became top scorer of the competition as Internacional Sub-20 defeated Grêmio 4–0 in the championship's final match. Ready to join the Inter 13th team in November that same year, his debut finally happened at the Estádio Palestra Itália against São Paulo team Palmeiras for the Campeonato Brasileiro. Alexandre Pato met and surpassed any and all expectations of what was expected of him as he scored his first professional goal within the first minute of the game. The rest of his participation was spent dribbling and confusing defenders as he made two assists (and almost scoring another himself) to help Internacional rout Palmeiras 4–1. He was substituted off in the 77th minute. Pato was included in the Internacional squad that won the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup. During this event, Pato broke Pelé's long standing record as he became the youngest ever player to score in a FIFA-organised competition at the age of 17 years and 102 days old against African club champions Al-Ahly. Pelé was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored against Wales during the 1958 FIFA World Cup. Keeping up with his promising figure, Pato debuted at the Campeonato Gaúcho on 24 February against Veranópolis and scored a goal in the 2–1 victory. He also debuted in Copa Libertadores on 28 February against Emelec of Ecuador (also his first game at Beira-Rio) and scored once during the 3–0 thumping. But the biggest highlight of Pato's time with Internacional was during the Recopa Sudamericana, as he helped Internacional win their first ever title of that competition. Against Pachuca of Mexico, he scored one goal in the 2–1 defeat in Mexico. But on the return game on 7 June and with more than 51,000 Colorados present, Pato had a great performance as he scored once and led the 4–0 thrashing to win Internacional's third international title.

biodata Ronaldinho

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (lahir di Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 22 September 1976; umur 36 tahun;), umumnya dipanggil Ronaldo saja, adalah seorang mantan pemain sepak bola Brasil. Oleh banyak pengamat dan pecinta sepak bola ia dianggap sebagai salah satu pemain sepak bola terbaik sepanjang masa.^[1] Ia bermain sebagai penyerang dan terakhir kali bermain bagi klub Corinthians.
Setelah menderita serangkaian cedera serius sepanjang karirnya, Ronaldo pensiun pada 14 Februari 2011, dengan menyatakan rasa sakit dari cederanya dan hipotiroidisme sebagai alasannya untuk pensiun.^[2]

Daftar isi 1 Kelahiran 2 Klub 2.1 Cruzeiro (1993) 2.2 PSV Eindhoven (1994-1996) 2.3 FC Barcelona (1996/97) 2.4 Internazionale Milan (1997-2002 ) 2.5 Real Madrid (2002-2007) 2.6 AC Milan (2007-2008) 2.7 Corinthians (2009-14 Februari 2011) 3 Internasional 3.1 Piala Dunia 1994 3.2 Piala Dunia 1998 3.3 Piala Dunia 2002 3.4 Piala Dunia FIFA 2006 4 Gaya bermain 5 Penghargaan 6 Referensi 7 Pranala luar

Kelahiran

Seperti kebanyakan pemain sepak bola Brasil, Ronaldo lahir dalam kemiskinan. Ia besar di Bento Ribeiro dan bermain sepak bola di jalanan kumuh di sekitar rumahnya. Ia bahkan tidak mampu membeli sepatu sepak bola agar bisa berlatih di klub pujaannya Flamengo. Namun bakatnya segera tercium oleh legenda Brasil, Jairzinho yang membawanya untuk bergabung dengan Cruzeiro.

Klub

Cruzeiro (1993)

Awal karier Ronaldo dimulai ketika ia bergabung dengan Cruzeiro pada tahun 1993. Pada musim pertama dan satu-satunya di Cruzeiro, ia mengemas 12 gol dari 14 penampilan dan memenangkan Copa do Brasil untuk pertama kalinya. Setahun setelah debut profesionalnya ia dipanggil masuk skuat timnas sepak bola Brasil untuk Piala Dunia 1994 meskipun ia akhirnya tidak mendapatkan kesempatan bermain.

PSV Eindhoven (1994-1996)

Piet de Visser yang merupakan pemandu bakat PSV Eindhoven menyarankan klub itu untuk menarik Ronaldo bergabung. Maka transfer sebesar $6 juta pun dilayangken kepada Cruzeiro yang tak kuasa menahan bintangnya untuk hengkang. Maka bergabunglah Ronaldo dengan klub Belanda tersebut. Pada musim pertamanya Ronaldo keluar sebagai pencetak gol terbanyak Liga Belanda dengan 30 gol. Pada musim keduanya Ronaldo berkutat dengan cedera lutut kanan (cedera yang selalu menggerogoti kariernya), namun ia berhasil mencetak 12 gol dalam 13 penampilannya dalam pertandingan Liga. Ronaldo juga berhasil meraih trofi Piala Belanda bersama PSV pada tahun 1995.

FC Barcelona (1996/97)

Sir Bobby Robson yang merupakan manajer FC Barcelona saat itu memproyeksikan Alan Shearer sebagi target utama, sayangnya Blackburn Rovers tidak mengijinkan Shearer untuk pindah (walaupun akhirnya Newcastle United yang mendapatkannya). Maka target pun beralih kepada Ronaldo untuk memakai seragam no. 9 di Barça. PSV Eindhoven setuju untuk melepas Ronaldo dengan nilai transfer 12 juta poundsterling. Penampilan Il Fenômeno mencapai puncaknya di Barça dimana ia secara spektakuler mencetak 47 gol dalam 49 penampilan untuk semua ajang kompetisi bersama Barça. Pergerakan Ronaldo yang gesit dan kuat bahkan pernah memporak porandakan pertahanan klub Celta Vigo yang menjadi lawan Barça di liga, dimana ia mencetak sebuah gol solo run melewati hampir semua pemain Celta Vigo. Penampilan impresifnya pun diganjar dengan meraih gelar Pemain Terbaik Dunia versi FIFA 1996. Ia menjadi pemain termuda yang pernah meraihnya dalam usia 20 tahun. Bersama Barça Ronaldo meraih trofi Winner Cup, Piala Spanyol dan Piala Super Spanyol. Ronaldo juga menjadi pencetak gol terbanyak di Liga dengan 34 gol dari 37 penampilan. Akan tetapi dibalik kesuksesan Ronaldo, Barça justru menunda-nunda perpanjangan kontrak sang striker sehingga Ronaldo menjadi tidak bahagia, dan akhirnya mulai menyuarakan keinginan untuk pindah. Pada akhir musimnya bersama Barça klub-klub besar mulai mendekati Ronaldo, salah satunya adalah Inter Milan.

Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho in January 2013
Personal information
Full name	Ronaldo de Assis Moreira
Date of birth	21 March 1980 (age 32)
Place of birth	Porto Alegre, Brazil
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Playing position	Attacking midfielder / Forward
Club information
Current club	Atlético Mineiro
Number	10
Youth career
1987–1998	Grêmio
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–2001	Grêmio	52	(21)
2001–2003	Paris Saint-Germain	55	(17)
2003–2008	Barcelona	145	(70)
2008–2010	Milan	76	(20)
2011–2012	Flamengo	33	(15)
2012–	Atlético Mineiro	31	(9)
National team‡Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁonawˈdʒĩɲu]) or Ronaldinho Gaúcho,[2] is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Brazilian club Atlético Mineiro and for the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, an award which he received in 2004 and 2005. "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.[3] He was also named in the FIFA 100, a list of the greatest footballers compiled by fellow countryman Pelé, and in the FIFPro World XI consecutively from 2004–2007. Contents 1 Early and personal life 2 Club career 2.1 Grêmio 2.2 Paris Saint-Germain 2.3 Barcelona 2.4 Milan 2.5 Flamengo 2.6 Atlético Mineiro 3 International career 4 Style of play 5 Career statistics 5.1 Club 5.2 International 6 Honours 6.1 Club 6.2 International 6.3 Individual 6.4 Other 7 References 8 External links Early and personal life Ronaldinho was born in the city of Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul. His mother, Dona Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos (daughter of Enviro Assis),[4] is a former salesperson who studied to become a nurse. His father, João de Assis Moreira, was a shipyard worker and footballer for local club Esporte Clube Cruzeiro (not to be confused with Cruzeiro).[5] 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 the of age 8, and he was first given the nickname Ronaldinho because he was often the youngest and the smallest player in youth club matches.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8][9] Today, Roberto acts as Ronaldinho's manager, while his sister Deisi works as his press coordinator.[6][10] 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.[11] 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.[12] Club career Grêmio Ronaldinho's career began with the Grêmio youth squad. He made his senior side debut during the 1998 Copa Libertadores.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15] Paris Saint-Germain In 2001, Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract with French side Paris Saint-Germain in a €5 million transfer.[16] 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.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19] He scored his final league goal of the season in the club's 2–0 win over Metz on 27 April.[20] 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.[13] Despite repeated rifts with Fernández, Ronaldinho returned to the team for the 2002–03 season with the player switching to the number 10 shirt. Though his performances in his sophomore season with the club were underwhelming compared to his first, Ronaldinho performed admirably with the club. On 26 October 2002, he scored two goals in Paris Saint-Germain's 3–1 victory over Classique rivals Marseille. The first goal was a free kick, which curled past numerous Marseille players in the 18-yard box before sailing past goalkeeper Vedran Runje. In the return match, he again scored in Paris Saint-Germain's 3–0 victory at the Stade Vélodrome. Ronaldinho was also praised for his performance in the Coupe de France when he scored both goals in the club's 2–0 win over Bordeaux in the semi-finals, which inserted Paris Saint-Germain into the final. After scoring his first goal in the 22nd minute, Ronaldinho capped the game in the 81st minute accurately chipping the ball at the 18-yard box over the head of goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé, despite Ramé being in a favorable position. For his performance, Ronaldinho was given a standing ovation by the Parisian supporters. Unfortunately for the club, Ronaldinho and the team failed to capture the form that got them to the final as the bowed out 2–1 to Auxerre due to a last minute goal from Jean-Alain Boumsong. Despite Ronaldinho's performances, the club finished in disappointing 11th place position. Following the season, Ronaldinho declared he wanted to leave the club after the capital club failed to qualify for any European competition. Barcelona Ronaldinho with Frank Rijkaard at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Originally, FC 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 in a reported EUR30 million.[21][22] He made his team debut in a friendly against Milan at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., scoring one goal in a 2–0 victory. After suffering from injury during the first half of the campaign,[23] 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 20 December 2004. In 2005, Ronaldinho received his second consecutive honour of FIFA World Player of the Year, beating Chelsea's Frank Lampard and fellow Barça player Samuel Eto'o. On 8 March 2005, Barcelona were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Chelsea in the first knockout round, with Ronaldinho scoring both goals in a 4–2 loss.[24] With his contract expiring in 2008, Ronaldinho was offered an extension until 2014 that would have net him £85 million over nine years,[25] 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.[26] Ronaldinho taking a corner against Celta Vigo in 2005 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.[27] 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.[28] Ronaldinho was nonetheless the recipient of the Bronze Ball Award for the competition. The next day, Ronaldinho finished third in the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, behind World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and Zinedine Zidane.[29] 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.[30] 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.[31][32] 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.[33] 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.[34] Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra confirmed on 6 June that he was interested in acquiring him.[35] 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.[36] 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.[37] Milan Ronaldinho playing for Milan in 2008 In July 2008, Ronaldinho turned down a £25.5 million offer from Manchester City[38] to join Italian Serie A giants Milan on a three-year contract thought to be worth around £5.1 million (EUR6.5 million) a year, for €22.05M plus €1.05M bonus each season (€24.15M in 2010).[39][40][41] With the number 10 already occupied by teammate Clarence Seedorf, he selected 80 as his jersey number. Ronaldinho playing for Milan in 2010 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 6 November. 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 was arguably Milan's best player of the season. He 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 20 yards out.[42]
1996	Brazil U17	6	(2)
1999	Brazil U20	5	(3)
2000–2008	Brazil U23	27	(18)
1999–	Brazil	95	(33)
Honours[show]
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 November 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 31 May 2012