Ronaldinho turns 36: The most skillful player ever who almost joined Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea… and even got a standing ovation by Real Madrid fans while at Barcelona
Before his body broke down Ronaldinho was undoubtedly the world's best player
ONCE upon a time, he was head and shoulders above the rest as the best footballer in world football and stands out as one of the most skillful and watchable Brazilians ever.
He was linked with moves to Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Leicester City and even Blackburn Rovers, but never quite made it to the Premier League - today, maverick star Ronaldinho turns 36.
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Born in Porto Alegre, he came through the youth ranks at Gremio and made his debut during the 1998 Copa Libertadores, the following year saw the 18-year-old score 23 goals in 38 matches.
The vultures flocked to see him and the smiling attacker would have left a lasting impression, especially when he embarrassed 1994 World Cup winning captain, Dunga, during a rival game against Internacional.
Arsenal were linked with a move, but work permit issues stopped that idea before it started.
Arsene Wenger revealed: "I met his brother, who is his agent, a long, long time before he went to PSG... but we just could not get him to England because of the rules here."
The Gunners loss was Paris Saint-Germain’s gain and the 21-year-old flew across the Atlantic to become a superstar in the French capital.
It took some weeks for the Samba star to get settled, scoring his first goal during the Week 10 fixture against Lyon - tucking away a second half penalty.
The Parisians were far from the collection of superstars you will find at the Parc des Princes today and they were a struggling league side.
Back in those days, you had to score against Olympique de Marseille to become a hero and in 2002 he went one better.
Scoring from a free-kick and a penalty, the Brazilian’s goals helped PSG record a 3-0 home win over their bitter enemies. He may have only stayed for two campaigns, but he left a lasting impression under the bright lights of the Eiffel Tower.
The summer brought international recognition (and that goal against David Seaman) as Ronaldinho was a key member of the Brazil team that won the World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Chelsea were the next Premier League club thwarted in their efforts to sign the mercurial star - not by red tape, but by former manager Claudio Ranieri.
After rocking up at the club in the summer of 2003, billionaire Roman Abramovich gave the Italian an open chequebook and wanted to sign the Brazilian star... but Ranieri told him no.
Apparently the Italian, despite admiring his obvious and formidable talents, thought Ronaldinho to be too much of a playboy, too interested in nightclubs and the party scene.
In an ironic twist, instead of going for Ronaldinho, Ranieri went out and bought Adrian Mutu.
Chelsea weren't the only club interested in the star that summer.
Ronaldinho’s €30million move to Barcelona followed, but he only moved to Catalonia after deciding to turn down a move to Manchester United at the 11th hour.
"I was on the brink of joining Manchester United," Ronaldinho has since revealed, "there were just a few details to iron out, but [then-President Sandro] Rosell called me at the last minute to tell me that they were going to win the election.
"That made everything happen very fast."
He joined a Barca side in transition and it wasn’t until they signed Edgar Davids and built a strong midfield protection before the Blaugrana got to see the true ability of the majestic No 10.
The World Cup winner in 2002 was an instant hit at the Nou Camp, finishing his first season with 22 goals in 45 games, turning Barça from a mid-table side to title contenders.
When they added Ludovic Giuly and Samuel Eto’o to the mix, plus a little up-and-coming youngster, Lionel Messi - what did he ever do? - Ronaldinho would win the Fifa World Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or in 2005.
During that first season Ronaldinho also scored his iconic goal at Stamford Bridge, although Barca were knocked out by Chelsea.
Perhaps his defining moment came during the 2005-06 campaign.
On the way to lifting the La Liga crown, the Brazilian orchestrated a stunning 3-0 victory over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
He would score twice, the second an unforgettable solo goal that earned the respect of the home crowd, who stood to applaud the rival player. Something unheard of in a derby match so fierce.
"I am very proud. When it happened, I barely noticed what was happening. I just scored and celebrated," he later reflected.
The Brazilian also scored seven goals in a Champions League campaign that would see Frank Rijkaard's men win the European Cup against Arsenal in Paris. Ronaldinho was 25 then, and he’s never quite re-reached those heights in the seasons since.
A spell at AC Milan followed, but even though he was away from the Spanish party lifestyle he couldn’t conjure that same level of magic.
“The decline of Ronaldinho hasn’t surprised me,” his coach at the time, Carlo Ancelotti, said of the Brazilian. “His physical condition has always been very precarious. His talent, though, has never been in question.”
Two and a bit poor seasons in Italy bought a Serie A winners medal, but he only played 11 matches in that campaign.
His obvious decline didn't stop Blackburn Rovers' new ownership group Venkys trying an audacious bid to bring him to Ewood Park in 2010.
Speculation continued for weeks, but the No 10 would instead return to Brazil.
None would pass up the chance to sign him and the winger had spells at Flamengo, Atletico Miniero - where he won the Copa Libertadores - Queretaro and Fluminense before he finally hung up his boots in February this year.
Although he was a joy to watch on television every week, it wasn’t until you saw the Samba sensation in person pull off one of his dazzling pieces of gravity defying skill that you understood how defenders were mesmerised by his twists and tricks.
Ronaldinho is never going to feature on any list depicting the best players of all-time, but behind that endearing smile was a playmaker, that on his day, could tear apart the best defenders in the world.
Far from unfulfilled, he won everything a football could ever dream of in his career.
Don’t think of his star failing to shine for a long, successful career, regard him as a beautiful storm that came and saw him reach the pinnacle, before smiling as he dribbled off into the sunset.