Ronaldinho is a former football player from Brazil who played as an attacking midfielder / forward. In his entire career, he won 2 FIFA World Player of the Year awards and also a Ballon d’Or. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, his team Brazil won the ‘Bronze’ medal. He left his football career in January 2018 which was announced via his manager.
Sun Sign
Aries
Residence
Ronaldinho lives in a lavish mansion in Rio de Janeiro.
Nationality
Education
Ronaldinho started his soccer education at the youth academy of Brazilian soccer giants Grêmio.
Family
- Father – João de Assis Moreira (Former Professional Soccer Player and Shipyard Worker)
- Mother – Dona Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos (Former Salesperson and Nurse)
- Siblings – Roberto de Assis Moreira (Older Brother) (Former Soccer Professional Player and Manager), Deisi de Assis Moreira (Sister) (Works as Ronaldinho’s Press Coordinator)
- Others – Enviro Assis (Paternal Grandfather)
Manager
Ronaldinho is represented by his older brother Roberto.
Position
Forward, Attacking Midfielder
Shirt Number
10 – Atlético Mineiro, Flamengo, Fluminense, Barcelona FC, Brazil
21 – Paris Saint-Germain
49 – Querétaro
80 – AC Milan
Girlfriend / Spouse
Ronaldinho has dated
- – Russian model, Irina Shayk and Ronaldinho have dated in the past.
- Lisa Collins (2002) – In July 2002, it was reported that the Brazilian wizard had a fling with the English exotic dancer Lisa Collins. It was claimed that they had met during his visit to the Parisian club, where she used to work.
- Ximena Capristo (2006) – In November 2006, he was linked with the Argentine model Ximena Capristo by the Argentine press. They were dating for quite some time and in her interview with the press, she claimed that they chated all the time, which was seen as a confirmation of their relationship.
- Janaína Mendes (2002-2005) – Ronaldinho started dating dancer Janaína Mendes in 2002. He had first met her at Domingão do Faustão in Brazil. They got married in May 2004. In February 2005, she gave birth to their son, Joao, who was named after Ronaldinho’s late father. However, their marriage didn’t last long as he would later claim that marriage wasn’t for him.
- Alexandra Paressant (2006) – In aftermath of Brazil’s embarrassing exit from 2006 World Cup, the Italian model Alexandra Paressant sold her story to the press, in which she claimed that Ronaldinho pulled out all night romps with her while at the world cup with his national team. She even claimed that he broke a few curfew rules for her. He threatened to sue her for making malicious allegations.
- Sara Tommasi (2010-2011) – In 2010, the Italian media linked Ronaldinho with Italian actress and TV personality, Sara Tommasi. She herself gave an interview in December 2010 to confirm that they had been dating for about two months. However, their relationship didn’t last long into the following year.
- Priscilla Coelho – In May 2018, it was reported that Ronaldinho was going to get married to his longtime girlfriend Priscilla Coelho. The report claimed that he had been dating Priscilla for several years.
- Beatriz Souza (2016-Present) – Priscilla wasn’t the only woman Ronaldinho was slated to get married to in August 2018. The claimed that he was going to get married to Beatriz Souza on the same day as well. He had started dating Souza in December 2016 and she had been living with him along with Priscilla. He gave equal allowance to both his girlfriends and even had the habit of giving both of them exact same presents.
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Smile
- Curly Hair
- Often wears a bandana while playing
Brand Endorsements
Ronaldinho signed an endorsement deal with Pepsi soon after he caught the attention of the entire world with his sensational skills.
However, in 2011, he inked a deal with their rival Coca-Cola. But the partnership didn’t last long as the contract was terminated the following year after he was seen drinking Pepsi at his press conference in July 2012.
He has also done endorsement work for the following brands as well –
- Nike
- EA Sports
- Gatorade
- Danone
- Rexona
- Trident Fresh
- Minolta
Religion
Ronaldinho is a Catholic, but how devout he is to the church isn’t known.
Best Known For
- His highly successful stint with the Catalan giants Barcelona FC during which he managed to win La Liga as well as UEFA Champions League. On the personal level, he managed to win highly coveted Ballon d’Or as well as FIFA World Player of the Year.
- Being one of the most skillful and exciting attacking players in the world of soccer.
- Having played for some of the prestigious soccer clubs such as AC Milan, Gremio, and Paris Saint-Germain.
First Soccer Match
In 1998, he made his professional debut by turning out for Grêmio in a Copa Libertadores match.
In June 1999, Ronaldinho made his international debut in Brazil’s friendly match against Latvia. His side went on to win the match by 3-0.
First Film
In 2002, he made his theatrical film debut in the French sports comedy, Shooting Stars (originally titled 3 zéros).
First TV Show
In June 2004, Ronaldinho made his first TV show appearance on the comedy talk show series, Otro rollo con: Adal Ramones.
Ronaldinho Favorite Things
- Food – Feijoada cooked by his mother
- Sport (Besides Soccer) – Basketball
- Singer – Jorge Aragão
- Movie Genre – Comedy
- Video Game – Pro Evolution Soccer
- Music – Samba and Pagode and occasionally, English songs
- Idols – Rivelino, Romario, , Ronaldo, and Rivaldo
Source – ,
Ronaldinho Facts
- He started showing off his skills at the age of 8 on the futsal courts. He was also given his popular name ‘Ronaldinho’ at this age as he was usually the smallest and youngest player in the club matches.
- He managed to grab nationwide attention at the age of 13 after he scored 23 goals in his side’s 23-0 victory over a local side.
- In 1999, Ronaldinho announced his arrival on the national scale by humiliating World Cup-winning captain Dunga as he inspired Gremio in the Rio Grande do Sul State Championship final victory. In one play, he flicked the ball over Dunga’s head before speeding away, while he left him sprawling with another mazy dribble.
- In 2001, the English giants Arsenal tried to bring him over to the English shores but the transfer collapsed as he couldn’t secure work permit because he was a non-EU player and hadn’t played sufficient matches for his national side.
- He eventually secured a move to Europe by moving to the French side Paris Saint-Germain in a €5 million transfer in 2001. He had signed a five-year deal with them but would end up staying there for only 2 years.
- In 2003, he moved to Barcelona FC, who managed to overcome competition from English giants Manchester United. The English side had even given him a personal tour of their facilities but it has been claimed that he was put off by English weather.
- Ronaldinho’s signing by Joan Laporta was seen as a political move by some as he had failed to deliver after promising Englishman’s signing during his election campaign. Ronaldinho proved much better signing than that of Beckham by Real Madrid.
- He missed out most of the first half of his debut season with Barcelona due to an injury. By the mid-season, his side was languishing at the 12th position but his return galvanized his side and they managed to finish second.
- In September 2005, he signed a two-year extension with Barcelona, which included a release clause of £85 million. They had previously offered him a contract worth £85 million with 9 years extension but he turned it down due to extensive length of the contract.
- In November 2005, he became the second Barcelona player after legendary Diego Maradona to receive the standing ovation from Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium as he led his side’s 3-0 demolition of their arch-rivals.
- In 2006, he won first double that includes the league title and European title as he led Barcelona to La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles.
- With growing concerns regarding his partying lifestyle and the negative effect it was having on the young prodigy , Barcelona decided to sell him to AC Milan in July 2008. His lack of dedication to training regime had also led to his physical decline.
- In May 2012, he filed a lawsuit against his side Flamengo over their failure to pay his salary for the last 4 months. He also canceled his contract with them. In his single full season with the Brazilian side, he won Campeonato Carioca title, Taça Guanabara title, and the Taça Rio.
- In 2013, he played a monumental role in leading Atlético Mineiro to their first ever Copa Libertadores title. His side had also won Campeonato Mineiro and because of his tremendous performances, he was recognized as the 2013 South American Footballer of the Year.
- In July 2015, Ronaldinho returned to the Brazilian soccer by signing a contract with Fluminense. However, in September, it was announced that he had reached mutual agreement to have his contract terminated as he wasn’t satisfied with his performances.
- At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he formed a deadly attacking partnership with Ronaldo and Rivaldo, which played a key role in leading Brazil to its record fifth World Cup title.
- After his side’s disappointing performance at the 2006 World Cup, he along with Adriano were the target of Brazilian fans’ anger. The fact that he held a party at his home in Barcelona that continued into the early hours of the morning at the nightclub immediately after their exit from the tournament didn’t help the public mood.
- In February 2006, he was appointed in an official role by UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund.
- In 2011, Ronaldinho was roped in by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS to raise awareness about the disease amongst young people and to educate them on prevention.
- In January 2018, his brother and agent confirmed that Ronaldinho was retiring from soccer.
- In 2005, he captained Brazilian national side to the Confederations Cup title. He was even named Man of the Match in his side’s 4-1 victory over Argentina in the final.
- Visit his official website @ ronaldinho.com.
- Follow him on , , and .
Featured Image by Filipe Fortes / / CC BY-SA 2.0
Facts of Ronaldo de Assis Moreira
- Gender Male
- full nameRonaldo de Assis Moreira
- middle namede
- nicknamesRonaldinho, Ronaldinho Gaucho, Ronnie, Dinho
- birthplacePorto Alegre, Brazil
- Date of Birth March 21, 1980
- Age 44 years 7 months
- Horoscope Aries
- Lucky Number 6
- Lucky Stone Diamond
- Lucky Color Red
- Best Match for Marriage Leo
- ethnicity / ethnic backgroundLatino
- nationalityBrazilian
- net worth$90 million
- professionFormer Professional Soccer Player, Ambassador for Spanish club Barcelona
- weight80 kg or 176 lbs
- height5 ft 10¾ in or 180 cm
- hair colorDark Brown
- eye colorDark Brown
- body type / buildAthletic
- motherDona Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos
- fatherJoão de Assis Moreira
- brothersRoberto de Assis Moreira
- sistersDeisi de Assis Moreira
- favorite foodFeijoada cooked by his mother
- favorite songsSamba and Pagode and occasionally, English songs