When did Ronaldinho start playing soccer?

Ronaldinho, one of the greatest players in football history, has left a deep impression on fans with his magical moves and unique playing style. However, few people know that his journey to becoming a legend began at a very young age. When did Ronaldinho start playing soccer? The answer is when he was only 7 years old, when his first steps on the field helped him develop incredible skills. With the influence of his family and a challenging living environment, Ronaldinho had memorable early life experiences, from which he built the foundation for his legendary career later on. Let’s find out more with Kingsoccertips.com through the following article!

Who is Ronaldinho?

Ronaldinho, born Ronaldo de Assis Moreira on March 21, 1980, hails from Porto Alegre, Brazil. A renowned soccer superstar, he is widely known as a member of the 2002 World Cup-winning Brazilian team and a two-time FIFA World Player of the Year. Ronaldinho is an Aries and is Brazilian.

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho grew up in a family of athletes, which helped him rise to the highest levels of success in the sport. After a stellar youth career, Ronaldinho became a key member of the 2002 World Cup-winning Brazilian team. He has played for clubs in Brazil, France, Spain and Italy, and has been named FIFA World Player of the Year twice.

Early life

Childhood and Family

Ronaldinho was born Ronaldo de Assis Moreira on 21 March 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. His father, João Moreira, was a former professional footballer and a welder in a shipyard, while his mother, Miguelina de Assis, initially worked as a cosmetics saleswoman before becoming a nurse. Ronaldinho’s older brother, Roberto Assis, was also a professional footballer; Ronaldinho was surrounded by football from the day he was born. “I come from a family where football was always present,” he said. “My uncles, my father and my brother were all footballers. Living in such circumstances, I learned a lot from them. I tried to dedicate myself to football over time.”

In particular, he idolized his father, who suffered a fatal heart attack when Ronaldinho was eight years old. “He was one of the most important people for me and my career, even though he passed away when I was very young,” he said. “He gave me some of the best advice I ever received. Off the pitch: ‘Do the right thing and be an honest, straightforward person.’ And on the pitch: ‘Play football as simply as possible.’ He always said that one of the most complicated things you can do is play simple”.

The influence of his father

Ronaldinho started playing organised youth football at the age of seven, and it was as a young footballer that he first received the nickname “Ronaldinho”, a diminutive of his birth name, Ronaldo. “They always called me that when I was little because I was really small,” he explains, “and I played with players who were older than me. Upon joining the senior national team, another Ronaldo was already there, so they began calling me Ronaldinho to distinguish me as the younger one.

Growing up in a relatively poor, disadvantaged neighbourhood, Ronaldinho’s youth teams had to play on makeshift pitches. “The only grass on the pitch was in the corners,” Ronaldinho recalls. “There was no grass in the middle! There was just sand.” In addition to football, Ronaldinho also played futsal – a form of football played indoors on a hard surface with just five players on each side. Ronaldinho’s early experiences with futsal helped shape his unique playing style, marked by his remarkable touch and close control of the ball. “A lot of the moves I make come from futsal,” Ronaldinho once said, explaining, “It’s played in a very small space and the ball control is different from futsal. And to this day, my ball control is quite similar to that of a futsal player”.

Career highlights and turning points

Ronaldinho quickly developed into one of Brazil’s most talented young footballers. At just 13 years old, he scored 23 goals in a single match. While leading his team to numerous youth championships, Ronaldinho immersed himself in Brazil’s rich and glorious footballing history, studying past greats such as Pelé, Rivelino and Ronaldo, and dreaming of emulating them. Then, in 1997, a teenage Ronaldinho earned a call-up to the Brazil U-17 national team. The team won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Egypt, and Ronaldinho was named the tournament’s best player. Soon after, Ronaldinho signed his first professional contract to play for Grêmio, one of the most popular teams in the Brazilian league.

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Professional career

Brazilian and international career

Ronaldinho made his senior debut for Grêmio in the 1998 Copa Libertadores. The following year, he was invited to join the Brazilian national team to compete in the Confederations Cup in Mexico. Brazil finished second and Ronaldinho won the Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player as well as the Golden Boot for top scorer.

Moving to Europe and the world

Having established himself as a star on the international stage, Ronaldinho left Brazil for Europe in 2001, signing for Paris Saint-Germain in France. A year later, he played in his first World Cup as part of a powerful Brazilian squad that included Ronaldo and Rivaldo. Ronaldinho scored twice in five games, including the winning goal in a quarter-final win over England, as Brazil beat Germany in the final to win their fifth World Cup.

Hit the line at Barcelona

In 2003, Ronaldinho fulfilled a lifelong dream by joining Spanish side FC Barcelona, one of the world’s most storied clubs, and took the iconic No. 10 shirt often worn by the team’s greatest creative player. In 2004 and 2005, Ronaldinho won back-to-back FIFA World Player of the Year awards, the sport’s highest individual honour. He also led his team to the pinnacle of club success in 2006 with a triumphant run through the prestigious Champions League. The following month, Ronaldinho led a talented Brazil team into the World Cup with high expectations. However, the tournament ended in disappointment for the defending champions, as France shocked Brazil in the quarter-finals.

The final years of his career

In 2008, Ronaldinho left Barcelona to join one of the world’s most famous clubs, AC Milan, but his performances for the Italian Serie A giants were largely unremarkable. Underscoring his fading status, the former 2010 World Player of the Year was left out of Brazil’s squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

In 2011, Ronaldinho returned to Brazil to play for Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro. The relationship between the club and its most prominent player started well as Flamengo won the 2011 Campeonato Carioca, but things soured the following season. Ronaldinho missed several training sessions and played poorly in matches, and was eventually released due to unpaid wages. Ronaldinho signed for Atlético Mineiro in June 2012, a move that rekindled his dynamic playing ability, and he had another chance with the national team to make the 2014 World Cup squad.

Personal life and legacy

In 2005, Ronaldinho and Brazilian dancer Janaína Mendes had a son, named João, after Ronaldinho’s late father. The Brazilian superstar remains close to his family, with his brother Roberto acting as his agent and his sister Deisy acting as his press coordinator.

A true wizard with the ball, Ronaldinho is widely regarded as the greatest player of his generation and one of the best players of all time. He says his football career has been an emotional rollercoaster of highs, lows and a lifetime of unforgettable moments. “For me, football brings a lot of emotions, a different feeling every day,” Ronaldinho says. “I have been fortunate to participate in major competitions such as the Olympics, and winning the World Cup is also unforgettable. We lost the Olympics and won the World Cup, and I will never forget any feeling.”

The big picture

In conclusion, Ronaldinho started playing football at a very young age, just 7 years old, when he joined youth teams and trained with older players. However, not everyone knows that his outstanding skills were formed from his years of playing futsal, a form of indoor football. This contributed to the unique playing style of Ronaldinho, one of the greatest players in football history. So, when did Ronaldinho start playing soccer? The answer is right from when he was a 7-year-old boy, starting his journey to becoming a legend of this sport.