Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho scored his first La Liga goal for Barcelona at 1.30 in the morning on the 3rd of September 2003. The match against Sevilla had kicked off at five minutes past midnight. He took a pass from his own goalkeeper inside his own half, ran through midfield, and dribbled past two Sevilla players. From 30 yards he struck a shot that hit the underside of the crossbar and flew into the roof of the net.
The player behind that goal was born Ronaldo de Assis Moreira in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The world knows him by a childhood nickname. He went on to win two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d'Or. Only he has won a World Cup, a Copa América, a Confederations Cup, a Champions League, a Copa Libertadores and a Ballon d'Or. He is also known as O Bruxo, which means The Wizard.
How did a small boy from southern Brazil become a player whom rival fans stood up to applaud? Why did a career that touched such heights seem to fade while he was still in his twenties? And what did he do with the fame that followed him long after the football stopped?
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira was born on the 21st of March 1980 in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. His mother, Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos, worked as a salesperson and studied to become a nurse. His father, João de Assis Moreira, was a shipyard worker who also played for a local club called Esporte Clube Cruzeiro.
Football reached the family through his elder brother Roberto. When Roberto signed with Grêmio, the club gave the family a house in the more affluent Guarujá section of the city. The gift was meant to persuade him to stay. Roberto's own career was cut short by injury. He later became Ronaldo's manager, and their sister Deisi worked as his press coordinator.
The house brought tragedy. When Ronaldo was eight years old, his father hit his head and drowned in the swimming pool at their new home. Years later, the commentator Tim Vickery would suggest that this early loss shaped Ronaldinho's attitude to life. In that reading, life is short, so enjoy it while you can.
At that same age of eight, his skills began to show. He was often the youngest and smallest player in youth matches, so he was nicknamed Ronaldinho, where the ending "inho" means small. He fell in love with futsal and beach football. Many of his signature moves, especially his ball control, come from futsal.
At 13 he had his first brush with the media after scoring all 23 goals in a 23-0 win over a local team. By 1997 he was a rising star at the U-17 World Championship in Egypt, where he scored two goals, both from penalty kicks. His boyhood idols were Rivelino, Diego Maradona and Romário, along with two men who would later become his teammates, Ronaldo and Rivaldo.
Ronaldinho made his senior debut for Grêmio during the 1998 Copa Libertadores. The following year, at 18, he scored 22 goals in 47 matches. On the 20th of June 1999 he starred in the Rio Grande do Sul State Championship final against rivals Internacional. He flicked the ball over the head of their captain Dunga, a 1994 World Cup winner. Later he left Dunga flat-footed in a winding dribble. Grêmio also won the inaugural Copa Sul that year.
Europe came calling in 2001. Arsenal showed interest, but the move collapsed over a work permit. He was a non-EU player who had not played enough international matches. A loan to the Scottish side St Mirren never happened either, because he became caught up in a fake passport scandal in Brazil.
Instead, in 2001 he signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain in a €5 million transfer. He wore the number 21 shirt alongside Aloísio, Jay-Jay Okocha and Nicolas Anelka. He made his league debut on the 4th of August 2001 as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Auxerre. His first goal came on the 13th of October, an equalising penalty against Lyon, ten minutes after he came on.
After the winter break he scored in four consecutive matches. Yet his coach, Luis Fernández, complained that Ronaldinho cared more about Parisian nightlife than football. He also complained that his holidays in Brazil never ended on time.
For 2002-03 he switched to the number 10 shirt. On the 26th of October 2002 he scored twice in a 3-1 win over Marseille. The first was a free kick that curled past a crowd of players. In February 2003 he scored a goal against Guingamp that the public voted goal of the season. He beat four opponents, using a one-two and a step over, before lifting the ball over the goalkeeper.
In the Coupe de France semi-final he scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Bordeaux. The second was a chip over Ulrich Ramé, and Parisian supporters gave him a standing ovation. PSG then lost the final 2-1 to Auxerre on a last-minute goal from Jean-Alain Boumsong. The team finished 11th in the league. With no European football on offer, Ronaldinho said he wanted to leave.
Joan Laporta had just been elected president of FC Barcelona when he named three players he wanted: David Beckham, Thierry Henry or Ronaldinho. He said one of them would put the club at the forefront of world football. Henry stayed at Arsenal, and Beckham moved to Real Madrid. Barcelona then outbid Manchester United and signed Ronaldinho in a €30 million deal.
He made his debut in a friendly against Juventus at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on the 27th of July 2003. Coach Frank Rijkaard said afterwards, "He has something special every time he touches the ball." Injuries hurt the first half of that season, and Barcelona sank to 12th in the table. Ronaldinho returned, scored 15 league goals, and the team climbed to second.
On the 25th of April 2004 his scooped pass set up Xavi for the winner at Real Madrid. It was Barcelona's first win at the Bernabéu in seven years. Xavi credits that result as the start of "the Barcelona rise".
The next season brought his first league title. On the 20th of December 2004 he received his first FIFA World Player of the Year award. Captain Carles Puyol said, "The greatest compliment I could give him is that he's given Barcelona our spirit back. He has made us smile again."
In March 2005 he scored both goals in a 4-2 loss at Chelsea. The second was a shot past Petr Čech after a feint. Chelsea went through 5-4 on aggregate. On the 1st of May 2005 he supplied the scooped pass for the first Barcelona goal scored by Lionel Messi.
Contract talks followed. He turned down an extension to 2014 worth £85 million over nine years. In September 2005 he signed a two-year extension instead, with a release clause for any club that offered at least £85 million.
By the end of 2005 the honours were piling up. He won the inaugural FIFPro World Player of the Year and was named European Footballer of the Year. He also won a second FIFA World Player of the Year award and the Ballon d'Or. Only Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane had won the FIFA award more than once before him.
On the 19th of November 2005 he scored twice in a 3-0 win at Real Madrid. The home fans applauded, a tribute that only Maradona had earned before from a Barcelona player at the Bernabéu. Ronaldinho said he would never forget it, because it is very rare for opposing supporters to applaud a footballer that way.
The 2005-06 season ended with Barcelona's first Champions League title in 14 years. Ronaldinho scored past three Chelsea defenders in the round of 16 and added a goal against Benfica. He set up Ludovic Giuly's goal against Milan. In the final on the 17th of May 2006, Barcelona beat Arsenal 2-1. Ronaldinho's pass sent Samuel Eto'o clear, and Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off for the foul. Two weeks earlier, a second straight league title had given him his first career double. He ended the season with a career-best 26 goals.
The decline came gradually. On the 25th of November 2006 he scored his 50th league goal against Villarreal. He followed it with a bicycle kick, spinning 180 degrees to finish Xavi's cross. Fans waved white handkerchiefs. A few weeks later Barcelona lost the Club World Cup final 1-0 to Internacional of Brazil. Liverpool knocked them out of the Champions League in March 2007. Ronaldinho scored a career-best 21 league goals, yet Real Madrid took the title on head-to-head record after both teams finished level on points.
In 2007-08 injuries and a muscle tear in April ended his season early. Many people at the club believed his partying and lack of dedication in training had cost him his edge. On the 19th of May 2008 Laporta said Ronaldinho needed a "new challenge". His last Barcelona match was an anti-racism exhibition in Venezuela, where he and Messi captained opposing teams in a 7-7 draw. He later said he regretted leaving without playing longer alongside Messi.
Rijkaard gave Ronaldinho an unusual job at Barcelona. The naturally right-footed Ronaldinho played on the left wing, and the left-footed Messi on the right. Both could then cut inside onto their stronger foot. Elsewhere in his career he was a classic number 10, an attacking midfielder, and sometimes a second striker.
His repertoire was enormous. He bent free kicks around walls and drove them underneath walls. He sometimes used the knuckleball technique popularised by his compatriot Juninho Pernambucano. Messi later became a free-kick specialist himself, and Ronaldinho is credited as an influence. Step overs, nutmegs, back-heels, bicycle kicks and no-look passes all filled his game.
The elastico was a move he learned by watching videos of Rivelino. In parts of Africa, especially Nigeria, a feint of his is now called "The Gaúcho", after his nickname.
Richard Williams of The Guardian described him as slender, with a strength that sat oddly against his cartoonish smile. In 2006 Williams called him a genius. Zlatan Ibrahimović said that prime Ronaldinho made his opponents look like children. Edgar Davids said that for skills and tricks, Ronaldinho was the best player he had ever played with. Henrik Larsson shared that view. Rui Costa praised his ability to deliver goal-scoring passes from anywhere on the pitch.
Tostão, a member of Brazil's 1970 World Cup team, compared him to a gallery of legends. He said Ronaldinho had "the dribbling skills of Rivelino, the vision of Gérson, the spirit and happiness of Garrincha". He added the pace and power of Jairzinho and Ronaldo, the technique of Zico and the creativity of Romário. Beneath all the technique lay one special ability, which was to make people smile.
Official recognition followed. Pelé named him in the FIFA 100 list of the greatest living players in 2004. World Soccer magazine voted him World Player of the Decade for the 2000s in 2009.
Criticism came too. Commentators pointed to his lack of discipline in training and his hedonistic lifestyle. Tostão wrote that Ronaldinho lacked an important characteristic of Maradona and Pelé, which was aggression. He said they became "possessed, and furious" in adversity.
On the 26th of June 1999, three days before the Copa América, Ronaldinho made his debut for the Brazilian senior team. Brazil beat Latvia 3-0 in a friendly, and he then scored in a Copa América campaign that Brazil won. A week later he joined the 1999 Confederations Cup squad and scored in every match except the final. That included a hat-trick in an 8-2 semi-final win over Saudi Arabia. Brazil lost the final 4-3 to Mexico, but he took both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot.
At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Brazil's U23 team went out in the quarter-final to Cameroon. Earlier that year he had scored nine goals in seven matches to win the Pre-Olympic Tournament.
The 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan brought the "Three Rs", Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo, together in attack. His most memorable match was the quarter-final against England on the 21st of June. Michael Owen had given England the lead in the 23rd minute. Ronaldinho took the ball in his own half and ran at the defence. A step over left Ashley Cole wrong-footed, and he passed to Rivaldo, who equalised just before half-time.
In the 50th minute he curled a free kick from 40 yards into the top left corner, surprising goalkeeper David Seaman. Seven minutes later he was sent off for a foul on Danny Mills. He missed the semi-final but returned for the 2-0 final win over Germany, Brazil's record fifth World Cup title. He finished with two goals, three assists and a place in the World Cup All-Star Team.
In 2004 he was dropped from the Copa América squad, because coach Carlos Alberto Parreira chose to rest his stars. In 2005 he captained Brazil to the Confederations Cup. He scored a penalty in a 3-2 semi-final win over Germany. In the final on the 29th of June he was man of the match in a 4-1 win over Argentina.
The 2006 World Cup went the other way. Brazil's "magic quartet" of Adriano, Ronaldo, Kaká and Ronaldinho was meant to deliver the "Joga Bonito" style. Nike had promoted that style in a large advertising campaign. Critics called the team top heavy and unbalanced. Ronaldinho went scoreless with a single assist. Brazil lost 1-0 to France in the quarter-finals with only one shot on goal.
Back home the anger was physical. On the 3rd of July vandals burned and destroyed a 23-foot statue of Ronaldinho in Chapecó. It had been erected in 2004 to celebrate his first World Player of the Year award. That same day, Ronaldinho returned to Barcelona and held a party at his home that lasted into the early morning at a nightclub. Many fans felt betrayed.
The rest of his Brazil story is one of absences. He asked to skip the 2007 Copa América because of fatigue. In 2008 he captained the Olympic team to a bronze medal after a 3-0 win over Belgium. He scored both his goals in a 5-0 win over New Zealand. In May 2010 he was named in a 30-man provisional squad. Coach Dunga left him out of the final 23 for the World Cup in South Africa.
He returned in September 2011 under Mano Menezes. On the 6th of February 2013, at Wembley, he started what was counted as his 100th cap, including non-official matches. Joe Hart saved his penalty and Brazil lost 2-1. He was left out of the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup squads. Official totals show 97 caps and 33 goals.
Manchester City offered £25.5 million in July 2008, and Ronaldinho turned it down. He chose AC Milan on a three-year deal. Clarence Seedorf already held the number 10 shirt, so he picked 80. He scored his first Milan goal in a 1-0 derby win over Inter on the 28th of September 2008. He ended that season with 10 goals in 32 appearances. Coach Carlo Ancelotti said the decline did not surprise him, because his physical condition had always been precarious. His talent, Ancelotti added, was never in question.
The second season was better. Under new coach Leonardo he moved to the left of midfield. On the 17th of January 2010 he scored his first Milan hat-trick against Siena, and he finished as the Serie A assists leader. The newspaper Estado de São Paulo declared that he was reviving his golden years. Milan won the 2010-11 Serie A title, and he made 16 appearances before the winter break.
On the 11th of January 2011 he joined Flamengo. On the 27th of February he curled in a free kick against Boavista and won the Taça Guanabara. In July he scored a hat-trick in a 5-4 win over Santos. Flamengo had been 3-0 down inside the first 30 minutes. On the 31st of May 2012 he sued the club over four months of unpaid wages and cancelled his contract.
Four days later he signed with Atlético Mineiro and wore the unusual number 49, because the number 10 was already taken. The club finished second in the 2012 league, and Ronaldinho won the Bola de Ouro as the league's best player. In 2013 he helped Atlético to their first Copa Libertadores. They came back from 0-2 first-leg defeats in both the semi-final against Newell's Old Boys and the final against Olimpia. Both ties were won on penalties. He scored four goals, made eight assists, and was voted South American Footballer of the Year.
At the Club World Cup in Morocco in December 2013, Atlético lost 3-1 to Raja Casablanca. When the whistle blew, the opposing players rushed to their childhood idol and stripped him to his underpants to collect souvenirs.
He left Atlético by mutual consent in July 2014, after winning the Recopa Sudamericana. Basingstoke Town and an Indian franchise made offers. Instead, on the 5th of September 2014, he signed for Querétaro in Mexico. He missed a penalty on his debut. On the 18th of April 2015 he scored twice in a 4-0 win at América. The mostly América crowd gave him a standing ovation that brought him to tears. It was the second such ovation of his career, after the Bernabéu. Querétaro lost the final to Santos Laguna 5-3 on aggregate, and in June 2015 he thanked the Mexican nation and left.
A move to Fluminense on the 11th of July 2015 lasted only until the 28th of September. After nine appearances and heavy criticism, he asked for a meeting and told the club he could not perform as he wished. Sporting director Mario Bittencourt said he "was always spectacular, as player and person."
The last chapters were small and strange. In July 2016 he played futsal for the Goa 5s in India with Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. He left after two games to become an ambassador for the Rio Paralympics. In 2017 he scored 16 goals in eight games for the Delhi Dragons. On the 16th of January 2018 his brother confirmed his retirement. In July 2018 he played a few bars of "Kalinka" on an African drum at the World Cup closing ceremony in Moscow. In January 2019 he scored a hat-trick in an 11-4 beach soccer win over Japan, a testimonial for his friend Jorginho.
In 2006, Ronaldinho earned more than $19 million from endorsements. His deals included Nike, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, EA Sports and Danone. In his 2005 Nike advertisement, he appears to volley a ball against a crossbar again and again without it touching the ground. It became the first video on YouTube to reach one million views. A 2010 Nike commercial called Write the Future, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, featured his step overs. Fans re-enacted and shared it millions of times. In 2011 he signed with Coca-Cola, but the deal ended in July 2012 after he was caught drinking Pepsi at a news conference.
He appeared on the cover of EA Sports' FIFA series, including FIFA 06 and FIFA 09. A wax figure of him was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong in December 2007. He has worked for UNICEF since February 2006. In 2011 he was recruited to promote HIV awareness among young people. By March 2015 he had 31 million Facebook fans, and he has over 50 million followers on Instagram.
On the 2nd of February 2017 Barcelona announced a 10-year deal making him an ambassador at institutional events. In 2018 he appeared in the martial arts film Kickboxer: Retaliation. A Brazilian comic strip by Mauricio de Sousa, with a child version of him, ran from 2006 to 2015 and became an animated series. Rupert Thomson's 2021 novel Barcelona Dreaming features him as a character.
His private life was quieter. His son João was born on the 25th of February 2005 to the dancer Janaína Mendes, and was named after Ronaldinho's late father. He became a Spanish citizen in 2007. In March 2018 he joined the Brazilian Republican Party and endorsed Jair Bolsonaro for president.
Trouble followed. In July 2019, authorities confiscated 57 properties and his passports over unpaid taxes and fines. A judge reduced one fine from R$8.5 million to R$6 million. It was imposed for a fishing platform built in a heritage-protected area on the Guaíba River.
In March 2020 police in Paraguay questioned Ronaldinho over an alleged fake passport, and he and his brother were held in custody. In prison he played in a futsal tournament. His team won the final 11-2, with Ronaldinho scoring five goals and setting up the other six. He was released on the 24th of August 2020 under a plea deal. The fines were US$90000 for Ronaldinho and US$110000 for his brother.
One tribute from the world of science came earlier. In 2012, two Brazilian entomologists named a new bee species Eulaema quadragintanovem, Latin for forty-nine. The name honours the number he wore at Atlético Mineiro, chosen for his mother, who was born in 1949.
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Updated
Common questions
When was Ronaldinho born and where is he from?
Ronaldinho was born Ronaldo de Assis Moreira on the 21st of March 1980 in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Why is Ronaldinho called O Bruxo?
O Bruxo means The Wizard. Ronaldinho is known by the nickname because of his dribbling, free kicks, tricks, feints, no-look passes and overhead kicks.
Which clubs did Ronaldinho play for?
Ronaldinho played for Grêmio, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, AC Milan, Flamengo, Atlético Mineiro, Querétaro and Fluminense. He also played futsal in India in 2016 and 2017.
What major trophies did Ronaldinho win?
Ronaldinho won the 2002 World Cup, the 1999 Copa América, the 2005 Confederations Cup, the 2005-06 Champions League and the 2013 Copa Libertadores. He also won the 2005 Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2004 and 2005.
How many goals did Ronaldinho score for Brazil?
Ronaldinho earned 97 caps for Brazil and scored 33 goals. He represented the national team at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
When did Ronaldinho retire from football?
Ronaldinho confirmed his retirement on the 16th of January 2018 through his brother and agent. His last club was Fluminense, which he left in September 2015.
All sources
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- 60Ronaldinho's overhead kick against Villarreal (2006/07)FC Barcelona — 13 December 2013
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- 76Ronaldinho Snubs Man City for AC Milan – AOL Fanhouse, 7/16/08Soccer.fanhouse.com
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- 82NewsAnalysis: Milan party's over as Ronaldinho trudges home6 March 2015
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- 87NewsLeonardo leaves post as Milan manager by mutual consentNicky Bandini — 14 May 2010
- 89Ronaldinho Is Back To Being One of the BestFrank Tigani
- 90Scudetto 2010/11AC Milan
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- 94Remembering Ronaldinho's Excessive Milan NightsAdam Digby
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- 98Ronaldinho hits hat-trick in 5–4 Flamengo win28 July 2011
- 100Da piscina do Copacabana Palace, Kalil conduzia acerto – Atlético-MGLancenet.com.br
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- 107Ronaldinho Gaúcho rescinde contrato e encerra ciclo no Atlético-MGBernardo Lacerda — UOL Esporte — 28 July 2014
- 108NewsISL: Titans in Rome to woo Ronaldinho1 September 2014
- 109NewsRonaldinho: Basingstoke Town bid to sign Brazil legendBBC Sport — 4 September 2014
- 110NewsBasingstoke Town in audacious bid to sign out-of-contract Ronaldinho4 September 2014
- 111NewsRonaldinho: Ex-World Cup winner signs for QueretaroBBC Sport — 6 September 2014
- 113Ronaldinho Skies Penalty Kick Over The Bar In Queretaro Debut (GIF)Marcus Kwesi O'Mard — New England Sports Network — 18 September 2014
- 114Ronaldinho steals the show in Liga MX debut versus ChivasESPN FC — 22 September 2014
- 115Pese a golazo de Ronaldinho, Querétaro cae 2–1 ante Atlas30 October 2014
- 117Dinho, feliz con doblete en el Azteca: 'Ovación en el Bernabéu y ahora aquí'ESPN Deportes — 18 April 2015
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- 124Ronaldinho leaves Fluminense after nine games28 September 2015
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- 132WATCH: Ronaldinho Dazzles With Sensational Beach Soccer Hat Trick28 January 2019
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- 202NewsThe Joy of Six: football first touchesRob Smyth — 11 November 2011
- 203NewsChelsea discover why Ronaldinho is Barcelona's pearl beyond priceRichard Williams — 9 March 2006
- 204Ronaldinho
- 205The Cult: RonaldinhoSean Cole — Vice — 17 January 2017
- 206"Football's Greatest – Rivelino". Pitch International LLP. 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- 207David Goldblatt (2009). "The Football Book". p. 129. D Kindersley Ltd,
- 208RonaldinhoESPN FC
- 211Willian: Messi is very good, but Ronaldinho was the best of them allMarca — 13 November 2019
- 212Ranked! The 101 greatest football players of the last 25 years: full listFourFourTwo — 26 July 2019
- 213Ronaldinho: a player so good he made you smileSid Lowe — 17 January 2018
- 214NewsThe utterly beguiling genius of RonaldinhoJJ Bull — 17 January 2018
- 216Jethro Soutar (2006). "Ronaldinho: Football's Flamboyant Maestro". p. 169. Robson,
- 219, compilation of videos on the site. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- 221Nike "Writes the Future" – Just In Time For The World CupPaloma M. Vazquez — PSFK — 21 May 2010
- 222NewsRonaldinho wax figure arrives Hong Kong (Chinese)21 December 2008
- 223Jethro Soutar (2006). "Ronaldinho: Football's Flamboyant Maestro". p. 172.
- 224Soccer great Ronaldinho aims to score goals in UN campaign against AIDSUN News Centre — 20 October 2011
- 225NewsCristiano Ronaldo overtakes Shakira as Facebook's most 'liked' personYahoo! — 10 February 2017
- 227Ronaldinho Named Barcelona Ambassador: Latest Details, Comments and ReactionTom Sunderland — 3 February 2017
- 230Lebanon: Footballer Ronaldinho causes stir on Beirut trip30 July 2021
- 233Piqué suelta el 'bombazo': Ronaldinho será el primer propietario de la Kings League en BrasilVíctor Márquez — 27 February 2023
- 235NewsWhat is Baller League, why are KSI and IShowSpeed involved and is it a game-changer?Philip Buckingham et al. — 26 November 2024
- 237Universal Uclick1 September 2010
- 239Pelezinho estrela série de desenhos animados no Discovery Kidsmarcus.ramone.7 — 5 June 2014
- 240Neymar Jr., dos quadrinhos de Mauricio de Sousa, vira animaçãosamir.naliato.7 — 2 July 2014
- 241NewsRonaldinho: Ex-Brazil and Barcelona star has property seized over unpaid finesBBC Sport — 30 July 2019
- 242Brazilian judge lifts Ronaldinho travel ban13 September 2019
- 243Ronaldinho, Brother Not To Face Prosecution For Fake PassportsAgence France-Presse — 6 March 2020
- 244NewsRonaldinho held over fake passport claims5 March 2020
- 245Jailed Ronaldinho facing multiple issues off the pitchMauricio Savarese (AP) — 9 March 2020
- 246Ronaldinho loses appeal for release from house arrest12 July 2020
- 247Ronaldinho's Prison Team Win Futsal Tournament And Suckling PigTom Sanderson — 14 March 2020
- 249Paraguayan judge releases Ronaldinho after five months26 August 2020
- 250NewsRonaldinho wari ufungishijwe ijisho muri Paraguay yarekuwe25 August 2020
- 251Ronaldinho Gaúcho fala sobre seu filho pela primeira vezUOL Esporte — 24 August 2005
- 255BookIl calcio di Ronaldinho ai raggi XAlessandra Bocci — La Gazzetta dello Sport — 2011
- 257Appearances in the Campeonato Gaúcho
- 258Appearances in the Copa do Brasil
- 259Ten appearances and one goal in the Copa Libertadores, five appearances and two goals in the Copa Mercosur
- 260Appearances in the Copa Mercosur
- 261Four appearances in the Copa Sul, two appearances and one goal in the Seletiva Libertadores
- 262Appearances in the Copa Sul-Minas
- 263Ronaldinho
- 264Four appearances and two goals in the Coupe de la Ligue, two appearances in the Coupe de France
- 265Appearances in the UEFA Cup
- 266One appearance the Coupe de la Ligue, five appearances and three goals in the Coupe de France
- 267Appearances in the Copa del Rey
- 268Appearances in the UEFA Champions League
- 269Appearances in the Supercopa de España
- 270Two appearances in the Supercopa de España, one appearance in the UEFA Super Cup, two appearances and one goal in the FIFA Club World Cup
- 271Appearance in the Coppa Italia
- 273Appearances in the Campeonato Carioca
- 274Appearances in the Copa Sudamericana
- 275Appearances in the Copa Libertadores
- 276Appearances in the Campeonato Mineiro
- 277Appearances in the FIFA Club World Cup
- 278Appearances in the Recopa Sudamericana
- 279Appearances in the Copa MX
- 280South American U-17 Championship 1997 (Paraguay)Juan Pablo Andrés et al. — 15 February 2000
- 281Seven appearances and one goal in the 1997 South American U-17 Championship, six appearances and two goals in the 1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship
- 282Mundialito u-20 Álvaro Fabián Perea Berrospe 1998Martín Tabeira — 28 February 2000
- 283World Youth Cup (U-20) 1999 (Nigeria, April 3-24)Josef Bobrowsky et al. — 27 April 2001
- 284Nine appearances and three goals in the 1999 South American U-20 Championship, five appearances and three goals in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
- 285Seleção Brasileira Restritiva (Brazilian National Restrictive Team) 1996–1999Marcelo Leme de Arruda — 28 September 2019
- 286Seleção Brasileira Restritiva (Brazilian National Restrictive Team) 2000–2003Marcelo Leme de Arruda — 14 September 2019
- 287Seleção Brasileira Restritiva (Brazilian National Restrictive Team) 2004–2012Marcelo Leme de Arruda — 20 January 2020
- 288Seven appearances and nine goals in the 2000 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament, four appearances and one goal in the 2000 Summer Olympics
- 289Appearances in the 2008 Summer Olympics
- 290Ronaldo de Assis Moreira "Ronaldinho" – Goals in International MatchesRoberto Mamrud — 5 September 2013
- 291Four appearances and one goal in the 1999 Copa América, five appearances and six goals in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup
- 292Appearances in the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
- 293Appearances in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
- 294Three appearances in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, one appearance and one goal in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
- 295Appearances in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
- 296Five appearances and two goals in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification, five appearances and three goals in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
- 297Appearances in the 2006 FIFA World Cup
- 298Appearances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
- 299Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 1998–1999Marcelo Leme de Arruda et al. — 10 August 2020
- 300Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2000–2001Marcelo Leme de Arruda et al. — 14 October 2020
- 301Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2002–2003Marcelo Leme de Arruda et al. — 10 August 2020
- 302Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2004–2005Marcelo Leme de Arruda et al. — 10 August 2020
- 303Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2006–2007Marcelo Leme de Arruda et al. — 10 August 2020
- 304Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2010–2011Marcelo Leme de Arruda et al. — 10 August 2020
- 305Ronaldinho
- 307NewsBarca retain Spanish league titleBBC Sport — 3 May 2006
- 308NewsWhat happened to Ronaldinho?BBC Sport — 29 April 2008
- 309Full time reportUEFA — 17 May 2006
- 311Rio Grande do Sul -- List of State TopscorersRafael Bernardi Rizzon et al. — 8 April 2019
- 312NewsSouth American Team of the Year16 January 2009
- 316NewsThe Fifa 1004 March 2004
- 320TEAM OF THE YEAR 2004UEFA
- 321TEAM OF THE YEAR 2005UEFA
- 322TEAM OF THE YEAR 2006UEFA
- 324UEFA Club Football AwardsUEFA — May 2011
- 326"Onze Mondial" AwardsJosé Luis Pierrend — Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation — 6 March 2012
- 327NewsRonaldinho & Rooney scoop awardsBBC Sport — 19 September 2005
- 334Winners of all time Golden Foot Award MonacoGolden Foot
- 335Magazine2000s: The Decade in Sports; All-Decade Team: SoccerGrant Wahl — 21 December 2009
- 336World Soccer16 May 2010
- 338NewsIt's the Bandinis 2010! The complete review of the past Serie A seasonNicky Bandini — 2010-05-26
- 339Os eleitos do Prêmio Craque do Brasileirão!6 December 2011
- 340Conheça os grandes vencedores do futebol brasileiroCBF — 23 November 2012
- 341R49, o rei das assistências3 December 2012
- 343Copa Libertadores Statistics – ESPN FCESPN FC
- 344FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2016: 8–18 December 2016: Statistical kitFIFA — 5 December 2016
- 345South American Coach and Player of the YearJosé Luis Pierrend — Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation — 16 January 2009
- 346Ultimate Team of the Year: The All-Time XIUEFA — 22 November 2015
- 347Museu do Futebol II. Anjos barrocos.Fut Pop Clube — 17 May 2009
- 348Baroque AngelsMuseu do Futebol
- 351Ronaldinho (Player Career Award)Globe Soccer Awards