Ronaldinho

He is very close to his siblings. His brother Roberto acts as Ronaldinho's manager, while his sister Deisi works as his press coordinator.

He has one son with the Brazilian dancer Janaína Mendes. His son is named João after Ronaldinho's late father.

He was born as Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, on 21 March 1980, in the city of Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. His mother Dona Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos worked as a salesperson while his father, João de Assis Moreira, was a shipyard worker who also played football for a local club.

He inherited his father’s passion for football and started playing organized football as a small child. Unfortunately, his father whom he idolized died of a heart attack when Ronaldinho was eight.

He became an active participant in local youth club matches and acquired the nickname ‘Ronaldinho’ during this time. He first came into limelight when he scored all 23 goals in a 23–0 victory against a local team when he was 13.

In 1997, he was selected for Brazil's Under-17 national team and helped his squad win the FIFA Under-17 World Championship in Egypt.

Ronaldinho signed his first professional contract to play for Grêmio and made his senior side debut during the 1998 Copa Libertadores. He achieved considerable success playing for the team and helped them win the inaugural Copa Sul-Minas.

In 2001, he signed a five-year contract with French side Paris Saint-Germain and played a key role in the 2001–02 edition of the Coupe de la Ligue, helping his team reach the semi-finals where they were eliminated by Bordeaux.

He was a part of the Brazil’s football team that won the FIFA World Cup in 2002. In the team, he starred alongside two other football legends, Ronaldo and Rivaldo.

He joined the FC Barcelona of the Spanish league in 2003 and won his first league title in 2004–05. He was at the peak of his form during this time and was named FIFA World Player of the Year on two consecutive years.

In the 2005-06 season, he played a pivotal role in helping Barcelona win their first Champions League title in 14 years. He performed brilliantly throughout the season and finished the season with a career-best 26 goals, including 7 in the Champions League. He scored his 50th career league goal against Villarrea in November 2006.

He is the recipient of two La Liga Foreign Player of the Year - Don Balón Award (2003-04 and 2005–06).

He won two back-to-back FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2004 and 2005.

He won the inaugural FIFPro World Player of the Year in September 2005. The same year, he was also named European Footballer of the Year.

He featured in the ‘FIFA 100’, a list of the world's greatest living players compiled by Pelé.