John Albert Torres - Soccer Star Ronaldinho

Soccer Star Ronaldinho

Brazilian star Ronaldinho signed his first professional contract with Grmio before he was 18 years old! Paris-Saint Germain eventually lured him away with millions of dollars, but after two years, he would sign with Barcelona where he won the coveted Ballon d'Or. After brief stops with AC Milan and Flamengo, Ronaldinho signed with Atltico Mineiro in 2012 where he has proven he is still one of the top soccer stars in the world!

A young Ronaldinho jumps for joy after scoring his teams sixth goal against Venezuela in 1999.

He might have been feeling a bit shy but no one would have known it. The teenage soccer star came onto the soccer pitch late in the game as a substitute for Brazils national team against rival country Venezuela.

At stake was the Copa de Amrica, or Americas Cup tournament.

Up until that point, this had been the biggest stage for the young player who had started playing soccer at the age of five.

What Ronaldinho did during his few minutes on the field of play would be a moment to be remembered forever by Brazilian soccer fans all over the world. It didnt matter that Brazil had a commanding lead over Venezuela on its way to a 70 victory.

It didnt matter that the goal came against a weaker team. No, what Ronaldinho did with the ball was nothing short of spectacular. And it would have been amazing regardless of the opponent.

He was just to the right of the penalty area arc facing the goal. With a smile on his face, Ronaldinho faked running forward, and the defender lurched back expecting a run toward the goal. But just as quickly as he started, Ronaldinho stopped in his tracks. He was about forty-five yards away from the goal. Then he placed his right foot over the ball and started gently pulling it back toward himself. He was hoping that the Venezuelan defender would follow the ball.

He did. The defender started closing in on Ronaldinho. As soon as the defender was very close, the Brazilian star did what he knew best. A master of ball control with little kicks, flicks, and touches, he squeezed his right foot under the ball and flicked it just over the oncoming players shoulder.

Then Ronaldinho scooted left around the defender. This was confusing to the defender because most right-handed players would have tried to go right around the player. But Ronaldinho went left. He then controlled the ball right on his foot as it landed about thirty-five yards from the Venezuelan goalkeeper, who started moving toward the play to get in proper position. Another defender came flying in from the corner, but Ronaldinhos speed was too much.

He tapped and dribbled the ball ahead for a couple of steps and then unleashed a rocket of a shot past the keeper in to the far corner of the goal. It was an incredible goal. No one had ever seen someone so young control the ball as if he was merely toying with the other players, daring them to take it from him.

The youngster jumped high in the air and threw a fist in celebration. A wide, joyous smile came to his face. His teammates gathered around him and congratulated him on such a powerful scoring strike and incredible ball control.

When people say that Ronaldinhos career is nearing its end, he goes out and proves that he can still play like he is twenty years old.

Some soccer experts said the goal was more like a work of art that should be hung in an art gallery or museum somewhere. It lives forever on the Internet where millions of people have admired it.

If he did not know it yet, that was the moment that Ronaldinho became a star.

This was still years before he would grow his signature long hair, braided and bouncing behind him as he dominated the pitch. But even back then, even in 1999, Ronaldinho was very easy to spot on the soccer pitch because of the wide smile he always seemed to be wearing, no matter what the situation or the score.

Most players dont even attempt the bicycle kick, but Ronaldinho does whatever he must do to score for his team.

He was only nineteen years old, but the Brazilian media was already comparing him to Pel, considered by many to be the greatest soccer player who ever lived.

While the comparisons were obviously a bit premature, expectations were already sky-high for the teenager. Only two years earlier, in 1997, he was a main part of the first Brazilian team to ever win the FIFA U-17 World Championship. This pits players younger than seventeen from all over the world against one another.

He had scored two goals in that tournament and was given the Bronze Ball Award as the best player on the team. He was immediately called up to help the U-20 team.

It would only be the start of things to come for the young footballer who would leave his mark on the game in the minds and memories of everyone who watched him play.

I dont think anyone has played as beautifully as Ronaldinho, said fellow Brazilian soccer star Tinga, who is from the same city as Ronaldinho. And at the same time he always did it with a smile on his face.

It was a smile that would carry him from poor, humble beginnings in a Brazilian port city, across the oceans to several continents and countries where he would land at the very top of the soccer world.

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira was born on March 21, 1980 in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre. He would later be known simply as Ronaldinho, or little Ronaldo.

Translated into English, Porto Alegre means Happy Port or Happy Harbor. It is one of the largest cities in Brazil with nearly 4.5 million people living there. Because the port city was founded in 1772 by Portuguese settlers who established a shipping center, many Europeans from Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland settled in the city over the years.

That explains the diverse culture and the different styles of food, dress, and even architecture throughout the area. Whats interesting is that even though Porto Alegre is near the ocean, the port itself is not. It sits at a place where five rivers come together and form a giant freshwater lake called Lagoa dos Patos that giant ships use to go from the ocean to the port.

The climate is subtropical, meaning that it is pretty hot and muggy just about all year round.

Ronaldinhos motherDona Miguelina Eli Assis dos Santosused to work selling makeup and cosmetics. But she wanted more out of life. She wanted to help others, so she later studied to become a nurse. The boys fatherJoo de Assis Moreirawas a former professional soccer player who worked as a welder at the nearby shipyards.

Roberto, Ronaldinhos brother, also played professional soccer before becoming his younger brothers manager.

He still played soccer for a local club in their neighborhood of Villanova. But that is not surprising. In many Latin American countries, such as Brazil, just about everyone plays soccer. In fact, in Brazil many people refer to soccer as the beautiful game. If baseball is the national pastime in the United States, then soccer is the national passion in Brazil.