5 reasons why we love Ronaldinho

Barcelona v Real Sociedad
Ronaldinho- one of the best players of all time

So here it begins. I always wanted to start a series of articles that listed out the points as to why we loved a certain footballer and I chose to start with Ronaldinho.

There are some players in this world who just can’t be hated for many reasons and Ronaldinho is one of them.

This is a man who got a standing ovation from the fans of eternal rivals, Los Merengues, at the Bernabeu for desecrating the Whites. On that day, he was unstoppable and the Madridistas could do nothing but applaud the genius of the Brazilian.

A lot of players will come and go, but there won’t be another like Ronaldinho – and here are 5 reasons why I love Ronaldinho as much as I love pasta...

Also read: Ronaldinho: Football, Love, and the Discovery of Joy


#5 He was an entertainer

Scoring goals is the prime objective football, much like earning money is the main objective for many in life. However, for Ronaldinho, happiness was much more important than just scoring goals and winning a game.

To him, playing the way that he loves to was always the prime focus. That is why whenever one watched him play, they not only witnessed a supreme level of brilliance but also found a smile-inducing happiness on their faces.

He didn’t really dribble, he danced with the ball and made the opponent players dance with him-- almost like taking a girl who can’t dance to prom but you make her dance anyway – and that too, just the way you want because you are that good a dancer.

If I was a defender who was made to dance by Ronnie, I would be happy for the rest of my life. Sergio Ramos, thou art blessed.

#4 Always smiling

FC Barcelona v RCD Espanyol
That smile was everything

There are some players – you know – when you look at them, you wonder as to what they must have been through in life to have such a sad expression, bereft of any happiness, on their faces. Sometimes, you even feel like ignoring them and that is just rude but kind of understandable.

And then there is Ronaldinho.

The Brazilian always smiled, regardless of the situation or moment – he just smiled. He dribbles past 10 players – he smiles. He scores a wonder goal – he smiles. He misses a glorious chance – he smiles. He gets a red card – he smiles while going off the pitch.

And that smile was just so beautiful. The viewers could genuinely feel positive and happy by just looking at those big teeth shining with that mesmerizing smile that stretched from ear to ear.

There were times when he was accused of not caring too much and that everything was a joke to him. Perhaps, it was. Perhaps, for Ronnie, life is not meant to be lived with seriousness because after all, we are all going to die eventually.

We miss that smile, Ronnie. We do. I do.

#3 Enjoyed life

NBA All-Star Game 2017
Ronaldinho at the NBA All-Star Game 2017

One of the reasons why the former Barcelona man never became the best player of all time was due to his party-going and casual ways off the pitch. It even defined him on the pitch as everything looked so easy for him (more on that later).

Ronaldinho could score a hattrick in one game and then head straight to the bar and have a night out with a bunch of his friends. He would sometimes do that even after losing a game, something that led to his downfall at Barcelona under Pep Guardiola.

Indeed, he did precisely that on the eve of Barcelona’s encounter against Manchester United in the second-leg of a Champions League semi-final.

Yes, he was injured at that time but he chose to spend the night out with his friends and drink till the sun came out instead of focusing on getting fit quickly – such was the audacity of the man. For him, it was always about enjoyment.

For him, it was always about the pleasure of playing rather than the pressure. And it is for this reason as to why...

Also read: Tracing Ronaldinho's decline after Barcelona: The fall of a modern superstar

#2 It was so easy for him on the football pitch

Real Madrid v F.C. Barcelona
Bernabeu still remembers his show

Like mentioned earlier, Ronaldinho on a football pitch was a joy to watch. The way he did things, it was... it was... so... natural. It was almost as if he born to play the game – perhaps he was – and it was almost as if he actually played the game since he was in his mother’s womb.

There was always somebody marking the man – you can’t leave out someone like him unmarked, can you? And he would then move away from his marker ever-so-subtly. By the time his marker realized it, he was gone – poof! – and had already inflicted damage.

Those mazy dribbles, those unbelievable no-look passes, those freestyle footballing moments... Oh, God, what was he? Was he an angel sent to make us happy or was he God himself? I don’t know but he certainly can’t be a mere mortal because a mortal couldn’t do the things that Ronaldinho could on a football pitch.

When he played at his best, it felt as though a transcendental woman was weaving a tapestry on a loom at her own pace as time stood still and witnessed it with its mouth agape and eyes rolling.

#1 An inspiration

FC Barcelona Opens First US Office
Ronnie is an inspiration to many

You watched him play and you realised that he was heads and shoulders above anyone on the pitch. You watched him play and you realised that perhaps God exists and is displaying himself in a poetic form by playing football through Ronaldinho.

You watched him and you realised what life was all about – that enjoying what you do is so necessary. All of us run behind big and brand new sports cars, the hottest girl, the big paycheck and so many other ‘best’ things that we are often blinded and lose track of what is really necessary: happiness.

If you are happy with what you do, everything else falls into place. Football made Ronaldinho happy and then after that, he got the best cars, the best booze, the best girls and the best everything – because he was the freaking best.

He was Ronaldinho Gaucho – the love of my life, the love of every football fans’ lives – and he was not just a footballer, he was a way of life.

Quick Links

Edited by Shambhu Ajith