Ronaldinho is not mentioned in the football GOATs like the great glories Pelé, Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Maradona, the modern-day superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo or the stars of the 2000s Ronaldo and Zinédine Zidane. “Ronnie” was however crowned world champion with Brazil in 2002, being one of the decisive players of the Seleçao (with his famous free kick against England in the quarter-finals). He was the greatest talent in football, playing for Barça, when he was crowned Ballon d’Or in 2005.
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira was an immense technical genius, an exceptional dribbler capable of changing a match. He put on a show with Grêmio, his training club, and PSG, for his first steps in Europe from 2001 to 2003 (77 matches, 25 goals). But above all reached his full potential during his five seasons at Barcelona, where he was crowned champion of Spain twice and won the Champions League in 2006. It was his decline before the age of thirty, playing in Milan then in Brazil, which somewhat eroded his superb career.
Ronaldinho Gaucho, his real nickname
Ronaldinho has the opportunity to look back on his journey from Porto Alegre to Barcelona, via Paris, Lombardy and even Mexico. A Netflix documentary, announced for April 16, is dedicated to number 10, “through little-known anecdotes and unpublished testimonies”. In Brazil, the film is named
Ronaldinho Gaucho. It’s his first nickname in the country. Ronaldo “Il Fenomeno” was in fact called Ronaldinho in his early days and the inhabitants of the far South, where Porto Alegre is located, are nicknamed gauchos.
The documentary will be available on Netflix in France, being titled Ronaldinho: The One. The platform promises “exclusive images, never-before-seen sequences, memorable victories, highlights. » As the 2026 World Cup in Brazil approaches, Netflix will also publish a documentary on the Seleçao’s coronation in 1994, in the United States, with never-before-seen images of Carlos Alberto Parreira’s team up to the final against Italy.
