In 2001, Ronaldinho moved on to PSG where he became a football star with his tremendous flair and exciting style of football - contributing to the team’s success with a number of goals. However, his employer was still not too convinced with his attitude, especially outside the field, and looked to get rid of him. But Ronaldinho continued to shine in the international arena. His finest hour came at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea, where he was a key member of the side that won Brazil's record fifth world title - scoring in the quarter finals and playing an integral role in midfield in the final.Ronaldinho then moved to Barcelona, arguably one of the biggest clubs in the world, for what now seems a bargain at $40M.
In his first season at Barcelona Ronaldinho more than justified his price tag as he helped coax the Catalan giants into second place in La Liga and earned himself the title of 2004 World Player of the Year. Ronaldinho helped Barcelona to win back to back La Liga titles in 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 along with the European Champion's League in 2006, Ronaldinho has also won a host of personal awards including-
Having caught the eye of big spending Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, Ronaldinho was the subject of a failed £60m bid from the West London club and despite the resignation of his friend Sandor Rosell as Barcelona's vice president of sports, he signed a new contract in late 2005 with the Catalan club.
Ronaldinho, on March 7, 2006 in the 2nd leg of the Champions League at Camp Nou, scored a spectacular goal against Chelsea. He received the ball from Eto'o outside the box, dribbled past three defenders and edged past a fourth player, and hit the ball hard and low past goalkeeper Petr Cech. The next day, in the press conference, Ronaldinho expressed his happiness with Barcelona and bashed speculations for a possible transfer to Chelsea: "I'm very happy with Barça. I can't imagine being happier anywhere else but with Barça. There isn't enough money to buy my happiness. I see myself being here the rest of my life and I hope to keep on bringing joy to the Barça fans". Ronaldinho is considered the world's most coveted player in 2006, and a possible future transfer fee for him would probably top 50 million euros. In December 2005, he and Mauricio de Sousa, a famous Brazilian comic book author, announced the creation of a comic character based upon Ronaldinho, his brother and his mother. Ronaldinho got married to dancer Janaina Nattielle Viana Mendes, and has a son named João, who was born in February 2005.
National Team2001-02 World Cup1998-99 Copa America1996-97 Under 17 World Cup