Ronaldinho

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira who is more commonly known as Ronaldinho, was born on 21 March 1980 in Vila Nova, Porto Alegre, Brazil. He is a Brazilian national who plays for FC Barcelona and Brasil's national team.

Like many Brasilians Ronaldinho started playing football at an early age. He had a very supportive soccer family with a father that played amateur football and a brother who was also a professional footballer.

Ronaldinho's player profile began at the age of 13, while playing futsal (indoor soccer). The young Ronaldinho's amazing talent caught the media's attention. He scored 23 goals in a 23-0 match against a crushed local team.

A few years later he represented Brazil in the 1997 FIFA Under 17 World Championship. They became the first Brazilian team to win the championship.

In 1997 he joined the youth team of Grêmio, the same club his brother played professionally at. It was here that he was able to demonstrate his awesome ball control and scoring ability. Ronaldinho soon joined the professional team and in 1999 was selected to be part of the Brazilian nation team. In his first appearance with the Brasilian national team against Venezuela, Ronaldinho scored a fantastic goal after dribbling past many players with his unique flair.

In 2001 Ronaldinho signed a contract with Paris St. Germain FC. It was during his time here and especially after a successful Brazilian World Cup win in 2002 that many of the major European clubs wanted to sign Ronaldinho.

After a bidding war amongst the top European clubs, Ronaldinho was signed by FC Barcelona on the the 19th of July 2003 for £20 million.

At FC Barcelona Ronaldinho's career excelled in every area. His team won the Spanish Liga in 2005 and 2006, the Supercopa de España in 2005 and 2006, the UEFA Champions League in 2006.

As an individual Ronaldinho has won the World Soccer Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005, the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005, the European Footballer of the Year in 2005.

With all Ronaldinho's amazing talents on and off the field he has become the most marketable player profiles in the world.