Ronaldinho

At 44 years old, Ronaldinho has this physical status:

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, born 21 March 1980, is a Brazilian footballer and ambassador for Barcelona. [?onaw'd?u ga'u?u]] or simply Ronaldinho Gacho, Brazil's Portuguese Portuguese: [?onaw'd?u ga'u]) or simply Ronaldinho (Brazilian Portuguese: [?onaw'd? U ga'u]) is a Brazilian Portuguese footballer and ambassador for Barcelona.

He was mostly a midfielder but was also used as a forward or a winger.

He spent the bulk of his time with European clubs, Barcelona, and A.C. Milan, as well as playing for the Brazilian national team.

Ronaldinho has received two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d'Or, often regarded by many as one of the finest players of his generation and one of the greatest of all time.

He was known for his engineering and creativity, as well as his use of tricks, feints, overhead kicks, no-look passes, and accuracy with free-kicks. Ronaldinho made his Grêmio debut in 1998.

He migrated to Paris Saint-Germain in France at the age of 20 before signing for Barcelona in 2003.

Early and personal life

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira was born on March 21 in Porto Alegre, Brazil's state capital, Rio Grande do Sul. Miguelina Elói Santos Santos, his mother, was a salesperson who trained to be a nurse. Joo de Assis Moreira, his father, was a shipyard worker and a footballer for the local club Esporte Cruzeiro (not to be confused with the larger Cruzeiro Esporte Clube). The family moved to a house in Porto Alegre's more upscale Guarujá neighborhood, which was a gift from Grêmio to convince Roberto to stay at the club. Nonetheless, Roberto's career was ultimately marred by illness. When Ronaldo was eight years old, it was in their new home where his father was struck his head and drowned in the swimming pool. Roberto is the current governor of Argentina, while his sister Deisi is his press coordinator.

Ronaldo's football skills began at the age of eight, and he was given the nickname Ronaldinho – meaning small – because he was often the youngest and smallest player in youth club matches. He became interested in futsal and beach football, which later developed to organized football. Many of his signature moves stem from frustration, particularly his ball control. In a 23–0 victory over a local team, he had his first brush with the media, scoring all 23 goals in a 23-0 victory. Ronaldinho was dubbed a rising star at the 1997 U-17 World Championship in Egypt, in which he scored two goals on penalty kicks.

Growing up, his heroes included the World Cup winners, Diego Maradona (from 1986), Romário (from 1994), and his two future international teammates Ronaldo and Rivaldo (who will form Brazil's 2002 World Cup winning trio). Joo dea Mendes, a Brazilian dancer, was born in Brazil on February 25th, 2005, and named after his late father, Ronaldinho. In 2007, he gained Spanish citizenship. Ronaldinho joined the Brazilian Republican Party in March 2018, which is affiliated with the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. In the 2018 Brazilian presidential election, Ronaldinho supported presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro.

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Club career

Ronaldinho's career began with the Grêmio youth team. During the 1998 Copa Libertadores, he made his senior team debut. Ronaldinho, the 18-year-old Ronaldinho, scored 22 goals in 47 games, and he put on headlining performances against Internacional in derbies, most notably in the Rio Grande do Sul State Championship final on June 20, 1999. Ronaldinho shocked Internacional's Brazilian legend and 1994 World Cup-winning captain Dunga, flicking the ball over his head on one occasion and leaving him flat footed in a muddy dribble on another. Ronaldinho also excelled with Grêmio, winning the inaugural Copa Sul.

Arsenal expressed an interest in signing Ronaldinho in 2001, but the move fell apart after he failed to obtain a work permit because he was a non-EU player who had not played enough international games. He was considering going on loan with St Mirren, but that didn't happen due to his involvement in a fake passport controversy in Brazil.

Ronaldinho joined French club Paris Saint-Germain in a €5 million transfer in 2001. Ronaldinho was given the number 21 shirt and inserted in a lineup that featured fellow Brazilian Alosio, midfielder Jay-Jay Okocha, and striker Nicolas Anelka after his arrival in Paris.

Ronaldinho made his club debut on August 4, 2001, as a backup in a 1-1 draw with Auxerre. Ronaldinho switched between the bench and starter's role during the first few months of the 2001–2002 season. He scored his first goal for the club on October 13th in a 2–2 draw against Lyon, converting the equalizer penalty in the 79th minute after arriving on ten minutes earlier. Ronaldinho scored a goal in four consecutive matches to kick off the new season after returning from winter break. He had a fruitful run against Monaco, Rennes, Lens, and Lorient. In PSG's 3-1 victory over relegation-fighters Troyes on March 16, 2002, he earned a double. In the club's 2–0 victory over Metz on April 27, he scored his final league goal of the season.

Ronaldinho was also influential in the 2001–2002 Coupe de la Ligue, assisting PSG in advancing to the semi-finals, where they were eliminated by Bordeaux. Ronaldinho scored two second half goals in the match against Guingamp after being introduced as a halftime substitute in the game. Despite Ronaldinho's debut with the club, the season was marred by controversies surrounding Barcelona Saint-Germain's boss, Luis Fernández, who claimed that the Brazilian was too fixated on the Parisian nightlife rather than football, and that his holidays in Brazil never came to an end at the scheduled times.

Ronaldinho returned to the team in 2002-03 after undergoing repeated breakdowns with Fernández, with the player changing to the number ten shirt. Despite the fact that his results in his second season with the club were disappointing compared to his first, Ronaldinho's second season with the club were encouraging, especially at the club's grand opening. In PSG's 3–1 victory over Classique rivals Marseille on October 26, 2002, he scored two goals. The first goal was a free kick, which brought several Marseille players in the 18-yard box before sailing past goalkeeper Vedran Runje. In the return match, he scored in PSG's 3–0 victory over the Stade Vélodrome, running half the length of the field before flicking the ball over the goalkeeper. Ronaldinho scored the goal of the season against Guingamp on February 22, 2003; he defeated one opponent before going left but losing another) before winning a fourth by lifting the ball over the goalkeeper.

Ronaldinho was also praised for his role in the Coupe de France when he scored both goals in the club's 2–0 victory over Bordeaux in the semi-finals, which put PSG in the final. Ronaldinho capped the game in the 81st minute by scoring his first goal in the 22nd minute while still standing on the 18-yard box over goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé's head. Ronaldinho's success was lauded by the Parisian audience for his work. Ronaldinho and the team did not have the same success that brought them to the final as a result of a last-minute goal from Jean-Alain Boumsong. Despite Ronaldinho's success, the club finished in a disappointing 11th-placed finish. Ronaldinho said he wanted to leave the club after the capital club failed to qualify for any European competition during the season.

"I predicted Barcelona would lead Barça to the top of the football world," says new Barcelona president Joan Laporta, and "to do so we would need to sign one of these three players, David Beckham, Thierry Henry, or Ronaldinho." Henry stayed with Arsenal and Laporta then promised to bring Beckham to the club, but Barcelona did not qualify for Ronaldinho after his move to Real Madrid, outbid Manchester United for his signature in a €30 million transfer.

Ronaldinho made his Barcelona debut against Juventus in a friendly against Juventus on July 27th, with manager Frank Rijkaard stating post-match, "He has something special every time he touches the ball." In a match that started at five minutes past midnight, he scored his first competitive goal in La Liga on September 3, 2003 against Sevilla at 1.30 a.m. local time. Ronaldinho dribbled through the midfield and back into the roof of the net after getting the ball from his goalkeeper inside his own half. Ronaldinho suffered from injuries in the first half of the season, and Barcelona finished 12th in the league standings midway through the season. Ronaldinho recovered from injury and scored 15 goals in La Liga during the 2003–04 season, assisting the team in finishing second in the league. His scooped pass set up the winning goal for Xavi over Real Madrid on April 25, 2004, the club's first victory in seven years, which Xavi attributes to the club's "the Barcelona rise."

Ronaldinho captured his first league title in 2004-05 and was named FIFA World Player of the Year on December 20, 2004. "I could give him the highest compliment I could give Barcelona is that he's given Barcelona our spirit back," Carles Puyol, Barcelona's captain, said. "He has made us smile again." With his entertaining and efficient play in both the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, his fame was growing. Barcelona was kicked out of the second round by Chelsea on March 8, 2005, losing 5–4 over two legs. Ronaldinho scored both goals in the second leg of Stamford Bridge in London, the second leg of his second leg game in which he feinted to shoot before smashing the ball with a little backwards past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr ech from 20 yards out.

Ronaldinho contributed to Lionel Messi's first goal for Barcelona on May 1st, 2005, completing a scooped pass over Messi's defense in Albacete. Ronaldinho, who was due to get a new deal before 2014, was turned down by the Argentine, but he turned it down. In September 2005, he signed a two-year contract with a minimum-fee release clause that allowed him to leave if a club makes an offer to Barcelona of at least £85 million for him.

Ronaldinho had started to win a slew of personal awards by the end of the year 2005. In addition to being voted the 2005 European Footballer of the Year, he was named the inaugural FIFPro World Player of the Year in September 2005. Ronaldinho was also named FIFA World Player of the Year for the second year in a row. After three-time winners Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, he became only the third player to win the award more than once. His nomination as the world's best footballer was undisputed, as he also won the coveted Ballon d'Or for the first time in his career.

Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3–0 on the road in the first leg of El Clásico on November 19th. Ronaldinho scored twice twice. Madrid fans paid their respects to his appearance as a Barcelona player at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium after he sealed the game with his second goal. "I will never forget this because it is very unusual for any footballer to be applauded in this way by the opposition followers," Ronaldinho said.

As he was instrumental in Barcelona's first Champions League title in 14 years, his season has been regarded as one of the finest in Ronaldinho's career. Barcelona defeated Chelsea 2-0 in a rematch of the previous year after winning their group convincingly. Ronaldinho scored a crucial goal in the second leg, beating three Chelsea defenders on the edge of the penalty area before beating the goalkeeper, bringing Barcelona's qualification to the next round. He was instrumental in Barcelona's demise of Benfica in the quarter-finals with a 2–0 home win. Barcelona defeated Milan 1–0 in aggregate, with Ronaldinho assisting the series's only goal by Ludovic Giuly, Barcelona's first goal, was promoted to the Champions League Final, which they secured on May 17th, 2006. Barcelona defeated Celta de Vigo 1–0, giving Ronaldinho his second straight La Liga title.

Ronaldinho continued to work with prolific Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o in attack, scoring many assists to the 34 goal striker; Eto'o was also sent down by Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann who was sent off for a game. Ronaldinho scored 26 goals in La Liga and seven in the Champions League, including 17 in La Liga and seven in La Liga, and seven in the Champions League, for the third time in a row, and he was named UEFA Team of the Year for the third time. He was selected in the FIFA World XI for the 2006 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, and was included in the six man shortlist for the 2006 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.

Ronaldinho scored his 50th goal in the league against Villarreal on November 25, 2006, before crashing for a second time with a spectacular overhead bike kick; receiving Xavi's salute, he flicked the ball up with his chest and spun 180 degrees to finish – Barcelona fans waved white handkerchiefs in praise of the goal. Since being a boy, he told reporters that the former was a goal he had aspired to scoring. In Barcelona's 4–0 Club World Cup victory over Mexico's Club América on December 14th in Yokohama, Japan, he scored once and set up two others, but Barcelona was defeated 1–0 by Brazilian club Internacional in the final. Ronaldinho was the recipient of the Bronze Ball Award for the competition.

Ronaldinho came third in the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year award, behind 2006 World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and Zinedine Zidane. Barcelona, the defending champions of the Champions League, were banned from the Champions League at the last 16 stage by Liverpool in March 2007. Ronaldinho was forced to miss a charity match on March 13th due to an injury he suffered a few days earlier in Barcelona's 3-3 El Clásico draw with Real Madrid. Despite Ronaldinho's career-best 21 league goals, the team lost the title to Real with a lower head-to-head record, as both teams ended the season with the same number of points.

Ronaldinho played his 200th game for Barcelona in a league match against Osasuna on February 3, 2008. However, his 2007–08 campaign as a whole was marred by injuries, as well as a muscle tear in his right leg on April 3rd, which prematurely ended his season. Ronaldinho's partying lifestyle and lack of commitment to training ended his physical fitness, leading to a lack of commitment to training for his first three seasons at Barcelona, with many at the club claiming he was already past his prime. Barcelona club president Joan Laporta said on May 19th that Ronaldinho needed a "new challenge" to restart his career, adding that if he wanted to join a new club to restart his career.

Ronaldinho and Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi captained a team of international celebrities in a anti-racism exhibition match in Venezuela on June 28th, which resulted in a 7–7 draw. In what would be his last game as a Barcelona player, Ronaldinho scored two goals and two assists. Ronaldinho wrote an open letter to Barcelona's fans and players, saying that his best years had been spent in the Catalan club during the 2010 Joan Gamper Trophy. It was a sad time for him, and he later admitted in an interview that he regretted not playing long enough with Messi.

Ronaldinho turned down a £25.5 million (€2.1 million) per week contract with a reported weekly salary of £200,000 per week to join AC Milan in July 2008, a three-year deal worth €22.05 million (€24.15 million) per year. Clarence Seedorf, a teammate, was already occupied by the number 10 and so he selected 80 as his jersey number.

In a 1–0 victory over Inter Milan on September 28, Ronaldinho scored his first goal for Milan. In a 3–0 victory over Sampdoria on October 19, the first brace was to be a teen. On the UEFA Cup group stage, he scored a 93rd-minute match-winner against Braga on November 6th. Ronaldinho scored ten goals from 32 appearances in all leagues during his 2008-09 season at Milan. Ronaldinho had a good start to the season, and was often playing from the bench to end a disappointing first season for Milan. "The demise of Ronaldinho hasn't surprised me," said Carlo Ancelotti, his mentor at Milan in his first season as a professional, was due to a lack of commitment in preparation and a lifestyle of late night partying not appropriate for an athlete. His physical health has always been precarious. Despite this, his ability has never been in question."

Ronaldinho's second season was not off to a promising start, but he soon recovered his form and was unquestionably Milan's best player of the season. Leonardo, the newly promoted coach, moved from a central attacking midfielder to the left side of midfield, with Alexandre Pato on the right, in an offensive 4–3–3 formation.

Ronaldinho scored two goals against Juventus in an away match on January 10, 2010 tying a 3–0 victory for Milan. Ronaldinho converted a penalty kick, scored with a header from a corner, and finished with a kick from 20 yards out in the following match against Siena on January 17th. "Ronaldinho reclaims his golden years," the Estado De S Paulo newspaper announced. Ronaldinho played against Manchester United in the Champions League on Sunday. Milan took the lead after scoring early in the game at San Siro. Milan lost the game 32-0, with a goal from Paul Scholes and two goals from Wayne Rooney.

Ronaldinho served as the assistant leader of Serie A last season. On a less positive note, he missed three penalties in the domestic season to bring his overall season to a one-botched kick to one. Ronaldinho stopped Serie A by scoring two goals against Juventus; Luca Antonini opened the scoring and Milan went on to win 3–0 in Leonardo's last game in charge.

Ronaldinho was part of the team's attack in the first half of the season, which also included two new signings, Zlatan Ibrahimovi and Robinho. He made 16 appearances, scored one goal, and provided multiple assists before the winter break. Despite leaving the club at halftime, he was still eligible for a 2010-11 Serie A champion's medal after Milan defeated the competition.

Ronaldinho joined Flamengo on January 11, 2011, but his deal came to an end in 2014. Many sources had linked the former World Player of the Year to move to different clubs, including Major League Soccer's Blackburn Rovers of the Premier League, and Brazilian clubs Corinthians and Palmeiras during the transfer saga. More than 20,000 fans attended his unveiling at his new club on January 13.

Ronaldinho scored his first goal for Flamengo in the 3–2 victory over Boavista on February 6, 2011. Flamengo's second-half free kick helped the team beat Boavista 1–0 and earn his first piece of silverware with the team, the Taça Guanabara. In the 71st minute at Engenho stadium, Ronaldinho raised his first trophy with Flamengo after curling in a right-footed shot over the wall. Flamengo captured its 19th Taça Guanabara title, winning the Campeonato Carioca championship two months later as the team also reached the Taça Rio. Ronaldinho scored a hat-trick in Flamengo's 5–4 away win over Santos, who were 3–0 down within the first 30 minutes. He sued Flamengo for a lack of funds for four months and ended his playing contract with the club on May 31, 2012.

Ronaldinho left Flamengo for Atlético Mineiro on June 4th, 2012, just four days after leaving Flamengo. Since his mother's birth year, he wore number 49 in reference to his mother's birth year, Guilherme's preferred number 10 was already assigned to Guilherme in the 2012 season.

Ronaldinho made his Galo debut on September 9, 2012, playing for 90 minutes against Palmeiras in a 1–0 away win, and on June 23, 2012 against Náutico from the penalty spot. Ronaldinho led Atlético Mineiro to a fruitful 2012 season, in which the team finished second in the 2012 Brasileiro and qualified for the 2013 Copa Libertadores. Ronaldinho was named as the best player in the league by the Bola de Ouro award.

Ronaldinho was a great help Atlético win the Campeonato Mineiro the year before and led the club to their first Copa Libertadores title in Atlético. During Atlético's spectacular title run, Ronaldinho scored four goals and assisted on eight occasions, including two consecutive defeats in both the semifinals and the finals against Club Olimpia from Paraguay. After penalty shootouts, both ties were decided in Atlético's favour. Despite being six years old, Ronaldinho's performances earned him the 2013 South American Footballer of the Year award.

Atlético defeated Raja Casablanca 3–1 in the semi-finals at the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco in December, with Ronaldinho scoring from a free kick. The Raja Casablanca team rushed to their childhood idol and stripped him down to his underpants in search of souvenirs as the final whistle blew. In January 2014, he renewed his Atlético deal. Ronaldinho, the 2014 Recopa Sudamericana champion, left the team in July after reaching an agreement to end his relationship by mutual consent.

Ronaldinho was initially offered contracts from English Conference South team Basingstoke Town and recently formed Indian Super League franchise Chennai Titans through their co-owner Prashant Agarwal, but he eventually signed a two-year deal with Mexican club Querétaro on September 5, 2014. Ronaldinho made his Querétaro debut in a 1–0 loss to Tigres UANL, where he missed a penalty kick. However, he had a much more successful match against Guadalajara, setting up Camilo Sanvezzo to score as well as scoring himself from a penalty kick in a 4–1 victory. During an away match at the Estadio Jalisco on October 30, 2014, he scored a free kick against Atlas.

Ronaldinho scored twice against Liga MX title holders América in an away game at the Estadio Azteca on April 18, 2015, in which his team defeated 4–0. Ronaldinho's supporters, mainly América supporters, erupted, and the crowd brought him to tears. It was the second time in Ronaldinho's career that he had evoked such ovation from opposition supporters (after Madrid fans applauded his appearance in a Barcelona shirt in 2005), and after the match, Ronaldinho said, "it is an emotion to live more." At the Bernabéu and now here, I had an ovation. I had no idea this would happen. It's something that makes me miss Mexico even more, and it makes me feel right at home."

Ronaldinho scored two goals in consecutive games, the second giving Querétaro the distinction in the Liga MX playoffs for the second time. Querétaro advanced to the semi-finals on May 17 after defeating Veracruz 4–3 aggregate. Ronaldinho scored a free kick with the assistance of the opponent's goalkeeper who made contact with the ball in the second match. Querétaro advanced to the final after beating Pachuca on aggregate 2–2. Querétaro lost the first leg 0–5 and then won the second leg 3–0, but lost 3–5 on aggregate. Ronaldinho, a 35-year-old footballer, announced his departure from the team in June 2015 and thanked the Mexican people and supporters of Querétaro: "I want to thank everybody in the Mexican country for all the days I've known. You will always be in my heart." "Mexico Gallos Blancos, thank you so much for wearing this shirt and supporting this team."

Ronaldinho returned to Brazil on July 11th, 2015, when he agreed to an 18-month deal with Fluminense, but Ronaldinho decided to terminate the deal on September 28th. During his two-month stay with the club, he made nine appearances, struggling to impress and being heavily chastised by the fans. "Ronaldinho pleaded for a meeting," Mario Bittencourt, a fluminent sports director, said. He gently told us that he didn't think he was able to do as well as he wanted, and that it was a difficult situation for him. He made a good decision by saying he wasn't really being the player when he said he should be right now. I'll never comment on whether or not he is retiring. You can't say about a player of his caliber. He was always outstanding, both as a player and a person."

Ronaldinho played for the Goa 5's, a futsal team from Goa, India, along with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Mchel Salgado, Mchel Salgado, and Hernán Crespo, as well as futsal player Falco in the Premier Futsal League in July 2016. After two games, he left India to be an ambassador of the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. Cafu had him replaced.

Ronaldinho played for the Delhi Dragons from September to early October 2017 in the Premier Futsal League. In eight games, he scored 16 goals in eight games.

Ronaldinho resigned from football through his brother/agent on January 16: "I have stopped, it has ended," Ronaldinho said. Let's do something big and nice after the Russia World Cup, most likely in August." This was supposed to be three years since Fluminense's last appearance, but it didn't materialize. He retired as one of just eight players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d'Or.

Ronaldinho performed a few bars of the Russian folk song "Kalinka" (sung by opera singer Aida Garifullina) on an African drum at the closing ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow on July 15th.

International career

Ronaldinho was one of the first Brazilian team to win the FIFA U-17 World Championship in 1997, which was held in Egypt, in which his first goal was a penalty against Austria in the first group match, which Brazil defeated 7–0. Ronaldinho scored two goals and was given the Bronze Ball award for Brazil's total of 21 goals against just conceding 2.

In terms of international play, 1999 was a fruitful year for Ronaldinho. He made his debut in the South American Youth Championship, scoring three goals in nine appearances and assisting the U20s in third place. In Nigeria's last group match, then scored his first goal in that year's FIFA World Youth Championship, scoring his first goal. In the first round of 16, he scored two first-half goals in a 4–0 victory over Croatia and ended with three goals as Brazil was eliminated by Uruguay in the quarterfinals.

He earned his first cap for Brazil in a 3–0 victory over Latvia on June 26th, three days before the 1999 Copa América campaign, and he scored one goal in Brazil's triumphant Copa América campaign. He was called up for the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, scoring in every match except the final, including a hat-trick in an 8–2 semi-final victory over Saudi Arabia one week after the conclusion of the Copa América. Brazil lost 4–3 to Mexico in the final. Ronaldinho received the Golden Ball award for the best player in the tournament as well as the tournament top-scoring trophy.

Ronaldinho and the U23 national team competed in the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, in 2000. Ronaldinho guided Brazil to victory in the Pre-Olympic Tournament last year, scoring nine goals in seven matches. Brazil was disqualified in the quarter-finals by Cameroon, who later received the gold medal in the Olympics. Ronaldinho scored just one goal in the quarter-final loss to Cameroon.

Ronaldinho played in his first World Cup in 2002 as part of Ronaldo and Rivaldo's formidable offensive team, the "Three Rs," who were also on the 1999 Copa América winning team. Ronaldinho appeared in five games during the tournament in South Korea and Japan, as well as contributing with three assists. His first goal came in the group stage match against China PR, which Brazil defeated 4–0.

In the quarter-finals against England on June 21, the most memorable match in Ronaldinho's World Cup career took place. Ronaldinho turned the game around after Michael Owen's 23-minute foulball, with Brazil trailing. Ronaldinho started the game inside his own half and mistook it for the England defense and wrong footed star Ashley Cole with a trademark move over before handing the ball to Rivaldo for the equalizing goal just before halftime. Ronaldinho took a free-kick from 40 yards out and curled into the top left corner of the net, giving Brazil a 2–1 lead. Danny Mills, England's defender, was controversially dismissed for a foul seven minutes later. Ronaldinho was suspended for the semi-finals but Brazil's starting lineup was returned to Brazil for the 2–0 victory over Germany in the final, when Brazil claimed its fifth World Cup title.

Ronaldinho's next international tournament was the 2003 Confederations Cup, in which he went scoreless as Brazil were eliminated in the group stage. He was cut from Brazil's 2004 Copa América squad the following year, but coach Carlos Alberto Parreira decided to rest his players and use a large reserve squad the following year.

Ronaldinho, the captain of Brazil, was the team's second successive Confederations Cup crown in 2005 after falling short in 1999 and 2003. In a 4–1 victory over archrival Argentina in the final on June 29, he converted a penalty kick in a 3–2 victory over host Germany and was named Man of the Match. Ronaldinho scored three goals in the tournament and is tied for third place with Mexican forward Cuauhtémoc Blanco with nine goals.

Ronaldinho was expected to be the centerpiece of Brazil's much-publicized "magic quartet" of offensive players alongside Adriano, Ronaldo, and Kaká, which was supposed to feature the "Joga Bonito" style of play that was the object of a massive advertising campaign leading up to the tournament. However, the team, which was dubbed "top heavy and unbalanced," ended with ten goals in five games, with Ronaldinho himself going scoreless and finishing with only one assist (for Gilberto's goal against Japan) in his worst international results in his career. Brazil had a turbulent run that culminated in a 1–0 loss to France in the quarter-finals, during which the Seleço had just one shot on goal.

Following the team's return home, Brazilian fans and media attacked the team. Vandals immolated and burned a 23-foot (7.5-meter) tall fiberglass and resin statue of Ronaldinho in Chapecó on July 3rd, two days after Brazil's removal. The statue was unveiled in 2004 to celebrate his first FIFA World Player of the Year award. Ronaldinho, who had been reunited with Adriano, returned to Barcelona and held a dance at his house, which continued into the early morning hours at a nightclub. This heightened the tense feelings of several Brazilian supporters who felt that the squad's inability had sparked their suspicions. The 2006 World Cup, despite Brazil's poor showing, is now considered to be the turning point in Ronaldinho's career, with his time at the summit of the game much improved. Tosto, a 1970 Brazil World Cup winner, wrote in O Tempo: "Ronaldinho lacks a key characteristic of Maradona and Pelé: aggression." They were transformed into adversity. They became possessed and tumultuous."

Ronaldinho scored twice in a 4–0 victory over Chile on March 24, 2007, his first goal since the 2005 Confederations Cup final and snapped a streak that lasted nearly two years. Since requesting to be excused from the tournament due to exhaustion, he was not allowed to participate in the 2007 Copa América tournament. Following Brazil's 5–0 friendly victory over Ecuador, he was controversially benched by Barcelona on October 18th. He and a few Brazil players celebrated their victory by dancing the night away at a posh Rio de Janeiro nightclub. Ronaldinho was home at 11 a.m. the next morning, reportedly in the trunk of a vehicle in order to escape the media.

Ronaldinho was selected in Brazil's 2008 Summer Olympics squad as one of the over-age participants. Barcelona initially refused the transfer due to Ronaldinho's transfer to Milan, who in turn allowed him to travel to Beijing, China. Ronaldinho captained the team and scored his only two goals in a 5–0 win over New Zealand before Brazil was defeated by Argentina in the semi-finals. Brazil defeated Belgium 3–0 in the bronze medal match, earning the bronze medal.

Despite returning to form and being named as part of the 30-man provisional squad for the 2010 World Cup, despite his keen desire to participate in the tournament. According to critics, the exclusion of players such as Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato, Adriano, and Ronaldo signalled a step away from the classic Brazilian attacking "Joga Bonito" style of play. Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Netherlands.

Ronaldinho made his return to the national team under coach Mano Menezes in a friendly against Ghana at Fulham's Craven Cottage in September 2011, winning by a 1–0 victory for Brazil. In the ensuing month, he put on good results against Argentina against Argentina. After Dani Alves was sent off in October, he did a good job against Mexico in a friendly, scoring a free kick to equalize. Brazil defeated Brazil in the match thanks to Marcelo's goal.

Ronaldinho's good form continued in 2013, and when he was summoned by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari for a friendly against England on Sunday at Wembley Stadium as part of The Football Association (FA)'s 150th anniversary. Ronaldinho played in his 100th cap (including non-official games) and had a chance to score from the penalty kick, but Joe Hart saved him. Brazil lost 1–2 on the match. He was called up for the Seleço once more, after being named captain of the national team for an international friendly against Chile on April 24th. Ronaldinho, however, was not selected for the national team of the 2013 Confederations Cup, and he was also left out of Scolari's 2014 World Cup finals squad.

Career statistics

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