Ronaldinho bio: Wife, net worth, age, children, why was he arrested?
Ronaldinho is a famous Brazillian legend. Born as Ronaldo De Assis Moreira, the Brazillian international footballer is currently an investor, a philanthropist, and an entrepreneur. He played in the attacking midfield position, as well as striking forward position for world best clubs such as AC Milan, Barcelona, as well as Paris Saint-Germain.
Source: Getty Images
Even though he is currently not into active football playing, he remains one of the greatest footballers in the world. He is currently the ambassador of Barcelona. Apart from knowing his skills as a midfielder, a winger and striker sometimes, there is a lot of information about the star.
Ronaldinho profile summary
- Name: Ronaldo de Assis Moreira
- Nickname: Ronaldinho, Ronaldinho Gaucho
- Date of birth: March 21, 1980
- Age: 39 years
- Birthplace: Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Horoscope: Aries
- Net worth: $90 million
- School: Colégio Santa Teresa de Jesus.
- Height: 5 feet 11 inches (1.80m)
- Ethnicity: Mixed (Brazilian- African)
- Nationality: Bazilian- Spanish
- Profession: Former football player
- Father's name: João de Assis Moreira
- Mother's name: Dona Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos
- Weight: 80 Kg
- Hair color: Dark brown
- Eye color: Dark brown
Ronaldinho age and early life
Source: Getty Images
Ronaldinho birthday is given as March 21, 1980. This means that he is 39 years old, soon to be 40 years. While he is popularly referred to as Ronaldinho Gaucho, his parents gave him the name Ronaldo De Assis Moreira at birth. He attended Colégio Santa Teresa de Jesus.
His parents are João de Assis Moreira, who is the father, and Dona Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos, the mother. His father was a welder in a shipyard, whereas the mother, who is a former cosmetic saleswoman, is now a nurse. Before retiring from football, his father was working at Gremio, one of Porto Alegre's big clubs as a match-day doorman.
The footballer was lucky to have come from a family with football history. His father was a former football player. Ronaldinho brother Roberto de Assis Moreira, who is commonly known as Assis, was also a former footballer. He also has a sister by the name Deisy, who is his biggest supporter. She handles all of Ronaldinho's press matters.
Ronaldinho football career
The football star had a lot of inspiration to venture into the sport. His older brother, who is 10 years his senior, was a player with Gremio. He was able to move his family from the slums to a better life. Unfortunately, his prospects of becoming a world star ended when he suffered a serious knee injury that ended his career.
Fortunately, his younger brother was an even better talent, as proven a few years later. Assis went on to manage his younger brother Ronaldinho who became one of the best in the world. He remained a big influence on him as an agent and role model. Ronaldo later moved from his home country to the French side PSG. All the while, he acknowledged his brother's contribution to his success. It is not surprising that he mentioned Assis during his 2005 acceptance speech at the FIFA World Player of the Year Award ceremony.
Was Ronaldinho the best in his prime? Yes, he was, thanks to his brother's efforts. Most people know and believe that Ronaldinho was behind the numerous tricks he used on the field. The star player revealed that a good number of these stunts were invented by Roberto who then passed them on to him. They include:
- Ball dribbling and handling both on ground and air
- Bending knees while dribbling
- Not staring at the ball
- Performing moves at least one meter from the opponent
- Constant acceleration after every move
All the above-mentioned tricks were instrumental in making Ronaldinho the star that he later became. With the basic above, by the age of 7 years, Ronaldinho was able to have full control of the ball while dribbling.
He could also head up balls with precision, not to mention the fact that he was able to control the ball using his imagination amazingly. The training he had at an early age, and outside his comfort zone, was responsible for his ability to develop unique skills that he became known for. Some of his unique skills include:
- Flipflap or Elastico
- No-Look passing and dribbling
- Patented free kicks
- Hocus Pocus
- Joga Bonito dribble
Ronaldinho's success story began when his brother, Roberto, was no longer able to fend for his family after a knee injury. The young boy Ronaldo at the time juggled both Futsal and soccer. He had to step up. He put in more effort at both sports, and he soon began getting recognized.
It is from his skills and prowess at the time that fans endorsed the name Ronaldinho, which means small Ronaldo. He became the little boy with great skills. What's more, the player continued to be the smallest among all others during his academy years.
He was combining the skills taught to him by his brother with studying great players in history, such as Pele gave Ronaldinho an edge over his competitors. At the age of 13, and after scoring 23 goals in a game, he became Brazil's most talented youth soccer player, even winning an award for it.
Source: UGC
His turning point in soccer happened in 1997 when he got a call to join Brazil's under 17 team. He went on to lead the squad tot he FIFA world championships in Egypt. After the tournament, he was chosen as the tournament's best player. He then signed his first contract to play for Gremio, a celebrated Brazilian team at the time. The next year, he made his senior debut against Copa Libertadores.
He quickly rose to become a crucial part of the team and even their star striker. In 2001, he was transferred to Saint-Germain for 5 million euros. Many teams, including Arsenal, wanted him to join them, but he followed his brother's advice and went with PSG.
Even while at PSG, he still made appearances for the Brazillian national team. He was part of the 2002 World Cup squad. The combined efforts of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, and Rivalvo made it possible for Brazil to win the cup. Ronaldinho's 30-yard kick that ended inside the net remains one of the greatest highlights of the game to-date.
In 2003, the player made an announcement that he was ready to leave Saint-Germain. There was a huge competition with FC Barcelona and Manchester United all fighting for him. Following his brother's advice, he went with Barcelona.
His arrival at the club was such a big deal as fans turned up to cheer him on. His presence in the club was instrumental as he helped in turning the fortunes of the club in just a short while. He helped the team win their first champions league title in 14 years during the 2005-2006 season.
After the 2006-2007 season where his team finished second place after Real Madrid, as well as the 2007-2008 season where the player was plagued by injuries, Ronaldinho moved to AC Milan. He later returned to Brazil in 2011 to play for Flamengo.
A year later, he played for Atletico Mineiro, where he won the Copa Libertadores. He then moved to Mexico to play for Queretaro and back to Brazil in 2015 to play for Fluminense.
Is Ronaldinho still playing football?
The star confirmed his retirement through his agent and brother, Roberto, in 2018.
Why did Ronaldinho stop playing football?
It has been said that Ronaldinho left Barcelona because his form started dropping and also bad relationships with players and staff. However, his decision to leave football, in general, is not clear.
According to the statement made by his brother confirming Ronaldinho's retirement, all fans got to know that he had finished. Well, after winding up his football career, it can be said that the star had achieved all he could desire, and it was time to hang the boots.
Ronaldinho's awards and achievements
The star player is one of the highly-awarded soccer players in history. The following list shows a few of his accolades categorized into the team and individual achievements. For teams:
While at Atlético Mineiro, he helped them win:
- Campeonato Mineiro in 2013
- Copa Libertadores in 2013
- Recopa Sudamericana in 2014
While at Flamengo he aided in the win of:
- Campeonato Carioca in 2011
While at AC Milan, the team won:
- Serie A in 2010–11
While at FC Barcelona his team won:
- La Liga in 2004–05, and 2005–06 seasons
- UEFA Champions League in the 2005–06 season
- Supercopa de España in 2005, and 2006
His team was also the FIFA Club World Cup Runner-up in 2006
While at Paris Saint-Germain FC, his team won:
- UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2001
While at Grêmio his team won:
- South Cup in 1999
- Campeonato Gaúcho in 1999
While playing for Brasil, his country won:
- Copa América in 1999
- FIFA World Cup in 2002
- FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005
- Superclásico de las Américas in 2011
When playing for Brasil U-23, his country won:
- CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic Tournament in 1999
- Olympic Bronze Medal in 2008
When playing for Brasil U-17, his team won:
- South American Under-17 Football Championship in 1997
- FIFA U-17 World Championship in 1997
His Individual achievements include:
1. Atlético Mineiro:
- South American Footballer of the Year: 2013
- Bola de Ouro: 2012
2. Barcelona:
- FIFA 100
- La Liga Ibero-American Player of the Year: 2004
- World Soccer Magazine World Player of The Year: 2004, 2005
- FIFA World Player of the Year (2): 2004, 2005
- Ballon d'Or: 2005
- Onze d'Or: 2005
- UEFA Club Best Forward: 2004–05
- UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2005–06
- UEFA Team of the Year (3): 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06
- ESM Team of the Year (3): 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06
- Don Balón Award (2): 2003–04, 2005–06
- FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2005
- FIFPro World XI (3): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07
- Golden Foot: 2009
3. Grêmio
- Rio Grande do Sul State Championship Top Scorer: 1999
4. Brasil:
- FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Ball: 2005
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2002
- CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic Tournament Top Scorer: 2000
- FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 1999
- FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Shoe: 1999
Ronaldinho wife
Who is Ronaldinho's wife? Well, this is not clear. Most people referred to his ex-girlfriend Janaina Mendes, a dancer, as his wife. Recently, the Mirror reported that the former player was to get married to two women, Priscilla Coelho and Beatriz Souza. Despite the rumor, the player came out clearly to deny the claims terming them to be baseless and unfounded.
Ronaldinho children
Ronaldinho has a 14-year old son with his ex-girlfriend. His son's name is João de Assis Moreira. It appears that the boy is following in his father's footsteps after he got signed professionally by a Brazilian club.
Ronaldinho height
Source: Facebook
The former pro-footballer is 1.81 m tall.
Ronaldinho net worth 2020
It is expected that the player's net worth value is high, considering the achievements he has made over the years. In addition to that, his endorsement deals with companies such as Nike, EA, and numerous other smaller brands, including mobile phone companies and energy drinks.
He appeared on the cover of EA's FIFA Football five times. It has also been reported that he charges $250,000+ for a single post or personal appearance on his social media outlets, which has a huge following, more than 100 million followers combined. His Instagram has over 50 million followers alone.
So, what is Ronaldinho's net worth currently? Celebrity Net Worth estimates his net worth value to be $90 million. This amount has been contributed to significantly by his salaries as a player over the years. His other deals have also played a part in the figure.
Ronaldinho latest news
In the latest news about the retired footballer, he was reported having found himself in trouble with the authorities. Headlines in different publications read 'Ronaldinho arrested in Paraguay.' It turns out that he was trying to get into the country with a fake passport. It has been reported that he was trying to pretend to be Paraguayan.
One may wonder why a successful footballer such as him would result in such schemes. Together with his brother, the two were detained for trying to cheat the authorities. The motivation behind this would have been the fact that he does not own a Brazillian passport and cannot get one until he pays a hefty fine.
Back in 2018, he was found guilty of illegally building a fishing platform on Lake Guaíba without planning permission. This attracted a €2.3m fine for damages on the property. His inability to pay for the loan led the court to seize his passport, and he was not allowed to leave Brazil. Strangely though, Paraguay being a Mercosur state like Brazil, the former player was allowed to travel there with his ID card only. It is still puzzling that he chose to use a fake passport.
Ronaldinho is a successful player. He goes down as one of the best in soccer history. Despite having challenges in his personal life, he remains one of the most achieved players of all time. He is a true inspiration to any boy that wants to pursue a career in soccer.
Source: Legit.ng
