Ronaldinho – Rise, fall and rise again!

Never again in the recent history of football has a player been admired and adored to such an extent all over the world as Ronaldinho. His 5 year spell at Barcelona saw him attain individual brilliance which is rarely seen in the game. The iconic number 10 redefined the term ‘Joga Bonito’ for a generation; his game considered by many as a work of art and not just football. With that infectious bunny-tooth smile, which left oppositions bemused with what just happened, he never made any enemies on the pitch or off it. His master class tormented defenders for years but he still always managed to get a hug at the end of all that misery he perpetrated on them.

His miraculous goal against England in the quarter finals of the World Cup in 2002 was his introduction to the world stage, the one he set ablaze for the next five years. He went on to win the tournament with Brazil and announced his arrival in style.

He came to Barcelona for €30 million and became an instant hit with the Blaugrana faithful. At times, he single handedly tore the defences apart and ran riot in the opposition half. His sublime ball control and elegant finishing made him a one man army. He would pass, collect, dribble and shoot in a blink of an eye and take the game away from the opposition. His heroics in El Classico against the Galacticos led Madrid supporters to give him a standing ovation, a feat not achieved by even Messi till date. Ronaldinho won every possible trophy at Barcelona, both for the team and himself. He scored 94 goals, assisted in 81 and was capped 214 times at the Camp Nou. He was instrumental in establishing the Catalan side as the fiercest team in European football.

Such a meteoric rise to fame could not last forever, El Gaucho was not the same player any more and many said that he was himself to be blamed for it. His lifestyle took over his game and he soon started spending more time in night clubs of Barcelona than in the training grounds. It is still a mystery as to what happened to Dinho which changed his attitude completely towards the game. Was it the pressure of not performing at the World Cup ’06 or was it the atmosphere at Barca that was not supportive any more? How can such a gifted individual succumb to his own image?

He couldn’t handle the fame very well and submerged himself into a life which was glittery but fake. He developed a lax attitude towards the game and as a result, his performance levels declined. He spent very less time in training sessions and instead opted to invest it in signing multimillion sponsorship deals. This claim was supported by the fact that he attended only 50% of Barcelona’s training sessions in 2006/07. His inflated physique was annoying for the fans who complained of his lack of commitment on the pitch.

During the World Cup ’06, he continued to deviate from the game and broke rules to be with his French girlfriend Alexandra Paressant. She became a distraction for the whole team as she would sneak into the team’s hotel and apparently leave Ronaldinho physically exhausted for the actual game. This happened almost every night and his careless attitude off the field affected his game on it.

His close pal at Barcelona, Juan Jose Castillo explains the situation better…

He became more disconnected, more reserved and instead of being with friends who would critique him or tell him things aren’t going well, he chose to surround himself with people who would only say nice things to him. He was also going out a lot at night, although initially, it was only to release stress or burn off the post-match adrenaline, but soon it became a lifestyle and a habit

His habits were not tolerated by the board and soon he started to have fallouts with the club hierarchy. Juan Laporta, the man who brought Ronnie to Barca, was not at his side any more to support him. Sandro Rosell, Barcelona’s president and also a friend, publicly criticized Dinho for his behaviour. He was responsible for concluding mega million deals with Nike and making Ronnie a marketable icon that he was.

“He is responsible for all his actions. Perhaps he is not the only one accountable, but he is the main culprit, because he is the one who shoots, runs and jumps… not anyone else”, Rosell’s anger was visible in his comments to the media.

Many say that he could have been more accountable for his actions and should have focused on football, but no one could ever explain his actions and chose to leave Ronaldinho on his own.

“Perhaps people at the club, from the doctors to the president, to the managers and fellow players could have done more to help him… “, remarked Edmilson, a former Barcelona player.

Ronaldinho couldn’t express himself at Barcelona. This is where one feels that Barcelona management could have done more for the man who gave his all for the club. He was expected to perform every time he played and he could not live up to the expectations any more.

“We spoke a lot to Ronaldinho. We tried to help him by telling him we were all behind him, but we were never sure what he thought because he never expressed everything that he felt..”,said Eusebio Sacristan (assistant to Coach Frank Rijkaard).

It was soon evident that his time at Barcelona had come to an end and he might have to make a move elsewhere. He chose AC Milan over Manchester City and completed his signing in the summer of 2008. He struggled with lack of fitness and self confidence at Milan and could never rediscover his magic again. Few signs of brilliance were still visible but he was never considered a threat by the opposition. He was still seen in the streets of Milan during the nights, one thing that he did not leave behind at Barcelona. Milan was losing their patience and soon they decided to get rid of him. The most worshipped footballer was not wanted by anyone in Europe. A transfer back to his homeland Brazil was one of the lowest points in his illustrious career.

Was this the end of Ronaldinho? Or was there more to follow?

After a disappointing campaign with Flamengo, Ronaldinho was given a chance to revive his career when he arrived at Atletico Mineiro for a short term contract. The results have been impressive and the ponytail playmaker is getting to his best slowly and steadily. At Atletico, he was free again from the burden of performing and showed what he is capable of. He steered the club on his shoulders from the danger of relegation to second place in the league. Dinho has 31 caps, 9 goals and 11 assists in 2012 and would love to carry his club form when he is given a chance for Brazil’s national team. He might not be the same player he was 4-5 years ago but he has the class and can still unlock the defences and create chances for himself as well as his team.

His recent outings with the National team have been impressive but not sensational. He needs to adapt and modify his game according to age and requirement to be more effective for Brazil. His experience at the highest level can be handy for a young and energetic Brazilian squad with the likes of Neymar, Oscar, Moura and others. His finesse on set pieces is unmatched in the current team and can be his lethal weapon. He has improved a lot on his fitness and is looking sharp again.

There are doubts regarding his thirst and ability to compete at the international stage, but the next one year will be crucial to prove that wrong. His rapport with the current national coach Scolari has been good in the past and he would certainly consider giving Ronnie a second chance.

Whatever the end result is, Ronaldinho will always be remembered as someone who made the world dance to his Samba tunes and brought smiles on the faces whenever he touched the ball.

Football fraternity wants him to be back to his best again and will wait to see if there is a fairy tale ending to the story of this living legend!