"Instructions? I don't give him instructions, just complete freedom to do
what he wants," Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard said on his unorthodox style.
Even Brazil's coach Carlos Alberto Parreira tipped him as the freeman in his
illustrious "magic quartet" of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Adriano and Kaka, for the
upcoming world cup in Germany.
"He has complete freedom in the Brazil team. It's absurd to say that he plays
differently in the national team and Barcelona because of his positioning,"
Parreira said in April when he announced his starting line-up for the team's
opener against Croatia.
Ronaldinho enjoyed the typical rags to riches story. Like most Brazilian
soccer prodigies, he came from a poor family in Porto Alegre and was raised in
the heart of the dirt road-laced settlements known as favelas.
He spent his childhood dribbling the ball on the dirt, asphalt and in his
living room around the furniture. The kid got every bit of encouragement from
his family throughout the early days of his career.
Ronaldinho began his career with his city's biggest club Gremio, where his
burgeoning talent soon brought him to the attention of the international
football world. During the four seasons he spent there, from 1997 to 2001, he
helped Brazil win the Under-17 World Championship and then the Copa America.
His years at Paris Saint-Germain were short on goals, but he continued to
prosper with the national team, winning the 2002 World Cup as a regular in the
starting line-up.
It was in Barcelona that Ronaldinho truly flourished. With 22 goals in his
first year with FC Barcelona, he revived a once glorious team and established
his authority.
In 2004, he first received soccer's most prestigious individual honor- the
FIFA World Player of the Year award.
Last year came his biggest harvest festival. Not only crowned European and
World Players of the year, but he also collected a bunch of champions under his
belt - Confederations Cup trophy with Brazil, and the La Liga and European
Champions League titles with Barcelona.
Benfica's Luisao
challenges Barcelona's Ronaldinho during their Champions League
quarter-final soccer match in
Lisbon.[Reuters] |
However, Ronaldinho has yet to
reach his peak and this June, Germany is very likely to be his wonder place.
Many believe that, in the 2006 world cup, he will replace " Phenomenon"
Ronaldo to be the helmsman who would steer the Selecao to a record sixth world
title.
Unlike his Brazilian teammate who shares the same name, Ronaldinho was hardly
involved in pink news or any off-field trouble which distracted him from soccer.
When asked if he had a girlfriend during a press conference, he took out a
soccer ball and said, "This is her."
His style is all in his game. The green and canary yellow of his national
team and Barcelona's blue and maroon is really all people see him in, in
contrast to Beckham's trend-setting Mohican haircut that made him more like a
fashion icon than a soccer star.
A sublime dribbler, a cultured passer and deadly at set-pieces, Ronaldindo
stands for everything that a coach is looking for on pitch.
And for sure, this summer would witness the Lord of Dance's coronation in
Germany.
