In December 2005 Ronaldinho won the Ballandor and was crowned the best player in the world. Rightly so he was the game’s best player, he was at his imperious and was universally celebrated. At 25 Ronaldinho was at the peak of his powers, little did the football fraternity anticipate that he had reached his apex, embarking on a decline ever since.
Ronaldo De Assis Moreira was a product of the prestigious club Gremio, which is considered a historical powerhouse of Brazilian football. In his 14 years at the club, Ronaldinho had exhibited a consistent glimpse of flawless technique and confidence in carrying the ball. He garnered fame for always playing with the spirit of delight and flair, being aesthetic and beautiful to the eye, a facet of his personality that became his trademark. A transfer to Europe was inevitable and in 2001 it materialized, with Ron signing for PSG. The transition to life in France was smooth and swift, although exhibiting early indicators of a developing precedent, he delivered in the big games, however, the quality was inconsistent and would fluctuate especially if the stage was ordinary.
The stat of 77 appearances in two seasons highlighted the inconsistent display, with his output also being slightly underwhelming considering the flair he possessed. On occasions though Ron produced football unparalleled in the French fraternity and would be decisive in turning the tide for PSG. His tenure at PSG was prefigured in controversy, between the two seasons in France he won the world cup with Brazil in 2006, scoring the famous freekick against England in the knockouts. Returning from the world cup Ron behaved as if the standard of PSG was not on par with his quality and charisma, Ron's relationship with the club began to fragment, with him simultaneously inclining towards the nightlife in Paris. The final straw in his fragmented relationship with the club was his arriving late from the charismas break, pawing way for the inevitable exit in the coming summer.
Ronaldinho’s moved to Barcelona in 2003, amidst the club being in turmoil, it had witnessed a spell of instability, and upheaval under the stint of Louis Vaan Haal’s with the club failing in transition and fans expressing their discontent with Vann Haal’s pragmatic approach. Ron's arrival was celebrated amongst the clues with a potential for some progress. In Ron’s first season at Barca, the club finished 2nd in the league, with visible progress in the team, especially in the context of playing philosophy. 2004 was the beginning of Ron’s apex, the 2004-05 would be the season of triumph. Barcelona would win its first league title of the decade with a comprehensive margin and domination culminated by an incisive brand of attacking football. For Ronaldinho the highlight of the season was his mesmerizing performance against Madrid at Bernabeu, earning him a standing ovation from the Madridistas. Some of his goals during the season were reminiscent of sublime for instance the chip goal in Champions League against Chelsea, defying physics with his accuracy, Ron was also responsible for assisting a certain Lionel Messi his first professional goal.
The Brazilian’s thrilling blend of technique and class would scintillate the 2005-06 campaign, as Barcelona retained their league title alongside capturing the championships league. The Classico that season was the pinnacle of his stay at Barcelona scoring two supernatural goals displaying his trademark craft and love for the ball. Nonetheless, apart from for an irrelevant Spanish super cup, he would not win another silverware with Barcelona, indicating two concerns, the first being the manager losing the command and the authority of his players, and the second and more profound was Ronaldinho’s fondness for the Catalonian nightlife was parallel to his preference for the Parisian nights. Barcelona’s 2006-07 campaign was trophyless, and Ronaldinho was dominating the headline in the Catalan press by virtue of his activities off the field.
Another mediocre outing in the 2007-08 season exposed the indiscipline within the clubs as the club finished trophyless again. The president of the club introduced a disciplinary guide, demanding rigorous commitment from the players. With criticism for Ron’s antics off the field and his lack of professionalism apparent, Barcelona made it evident that they were preparing for his departure. Tragically for Ronaldinho by the time he moved to Milan in 2008 his reputation was of a part-time footballer; however, his tenure in Italy was underestimated. To be fair his physic did not resemble that of a footballer at his peak neither did his lifestyle deemed suitable for a professional.
His penchant for goals in decisive moments remained active though, scoring goals against all conventional Italian giants. In a tenure of two and a half seasons, an output of 30 goals and 30 assists presented a reasonable statistic for a part-time footballer. In 2011 Ron returned to his beloved Brazil singing for Flamingo and playing with several clubs such as Athletic minero and Flumnise in the League. Towards the twilight of his career through it was apparent that he was more interested in the party and that football was more of a source of income. Ronaldinho announced his retirement in 2018, resulting in an outpouring of emotion for a player who for a brief had mesmerized and garnered the imagination of every fan.
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