Ronaldinho says feeling ready again
Ronaldinho ready to rule
Ronaldinho admits he's feeling tired
Ronaldinho: Star of the German
Be more like Ronaldinho!
Ronaldinho major threat, warns Wenger
Ronaldinho Bags Another Prize
Barcelona star Ronaldinho thanks Chelsea
Ronaldinho not looking for new club
Ronaldinho invited to take his bow at Old Trafford

Ronaldinho says feeling ready again

Ronaldinho says he's recovered from the grueling European season and is fully prepared to help Brazil defend their World Cup title.

"I'm fine now," Ronaldinho said yesterday. "We had enough time to rest and practice. I already feel 100 percent."

The two-time FIFA World Player of the Year said last week he'd arrived for Brazil's training camp "feeling a bit tired" after helping FC Barcelona win the Spanish title and the Champions League.

"Everything (I was feeling) when we got here is gone now," Ronaldinho said.

Ronaldinho was one of the players rested by Brazilian doctors from training sessions last week. His last competitive match was the Champions League final on May 17, just five days before reporting to Brazil's two-week training camp.

Ronaldinho said everything about Brazil's preparation "has been perfect" so far, and that the team is on the right track to debut in top form against Croatia on June 13 in Berlin.

"Everyone in this group knows each other very well," he said. "We are always happy (to meet) for a competition."
Ronaldinho, known for his nifty skills and dazzling moves, also said there were very few moments these days he's not trying out new tricks with a soccer ball.

"It's my favourite pastime," Ronaldinho said. "I grew up doing that, copying other people's moves or inventing new things."

Ronaldinho was a member of the squad that won Brazil's fifth title at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. He played five matches and scored two goals, including a spectacular free kick against England in the quarterfinals.

He has 46 goals in 87 matches for Brazil. He led Brazil to titles in the 1999 Copa America and the 2000 pre-Olympic tournament, as well as in last year's Confederations Cup in Germany.

Brazil, who are in Group F along with Croatia, Australia and Japan, will play their last match before the World Cup tomorrow against New Zealand in Geneva.

Ronaldinho ready to rule

Ronaldinho burst on to the international scene in a 1999 Copa America game against Venezuela when he scored a goal reminiscent of Pele's 1958 famous World Cup final effort.

Two minutes after coming on as a substitute for his second international appearance, the 19-year-old Ronaldinho flicked the ball over a defender, swept past another and fired the ball into the goal between goalkeeper Renny Vega and the near post.

It was clear that Brazil had unearthed another gem. Seven years on, Ronaldinho is widely acclaimed as the world's best. No other player has such a wide range of tricks at his disposal and no other player seems to enjoy himself, as illustrated by Ronaldinho's trademark grin.

Yet there is still an underlying feeling in Brazil that something is missing from Ronaldinho's career.

Despite that spectacular goal in 1999 and his presence in the 2002 World Cup winning team, Ronaldinho has yet to perform at his very best for his country on a consistent basis.

There have been flashes of his brilliance but, as often as not, he has failed to meet expectations.

In 2002, for example, he played second fiddle to Rivaldo and Ronaldo and blotted his copybook by being sent off early in the second half of the quarter-final against England shortly after scoring the winning goal.

There is little doubt that his World Player of Year award in 2005 was achieved on the basis of what he did with Barcelona rather than Brazil, even allowing for his display in the Confederations Cup.

It may seem harsh to say that Ronaldinho still has something to prove but the player seems ready to have the last laugh.

His performances for Barca during their march to the Champions League final have been spell-binding, even though he was not at his absolute best in their 2-1 win over Arsenal in the final in Paris on May 17.

Last year he scored one of the greatest goals ever seen in a European tie in England when he rifled home an unstoppable shot against Chelsea in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge.

This season he created a magnificent goal for Ludovic Giuly to score against AC Milan in the Champions League semi-final in Milan.

There is now a huge expectation on him to perform to those high standards in the finals in Germany.

For Brazilians, who have been spoiled by the talents of Pele, Garrincha and Zico in the past, anything other than a great World Cup will be seen as a let-down.

Ronaldinho admits he's feeling tired

Ronaldinho said Wednesday he has arrived for Brazil's pre-World Cup preparation "feeling a bit tired."

Ronaldinho won the Spanish title and Champions League in a long, tough season with FC Barcelona. "It was already expected for me to arrive feeling a bit tired," Ronaldinho said. "It's normal because of the season I had with Barcelona."

The two-time FIFA World Player of the Year believes, however, there's enough time to find his best condition and be ready for Brazil's tournament opener against Croatia on June 13.

Brazilian team doctors said that Ronaldinho is one of the players who may be rested in some training sessions before the monthlong competition in Germany.

He participated in the team's first day of practice at the lakeside resort town of Weggis, where Brazil is based until moving to Germany in early June to defend its title.

He skipped some physical drills in the morning only to conduct prearranged physical examinations, along with other seven players at a clinic in nearby Weggis.

Ronaldinho said he is already focused on the World Cup.

"Things are different in the national team, but I hope to continue playing well during the World Cup too," Ronaldinho said.

Ronaldinho is playing in his second World Cup. He helped Brazil win its fifth title in 2002 in South Korea and Japan.

Ronaldinho and Brazil will spend two weeks in the small town of Weggis, where a 5,000-seat arena and several other facilities were built exclusively to accommodate the national team.

The town is home to only about 4,000 people, but several thousand fans have flocked to the region to watch the Brazilian stars.

Ronaldinho: Star of the German

They call it the beautiful game back in his homeland, and Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho is one player who plays it as beautifully as many of his glorious predecessors, including the one and only Pele.

Skilful, dedicated, inspiring; Ronaldinho is the driving force behind Brazil's challenge for a sixth World Cup Trophy.

His place in the final eleven for Germany 2006 is guaranteed by the coach who has every confidence Ronaldinho can live up to the expectations that come with the title of 2005 FIFA Player Of The Year.

More than a dangerous and exciting player, the current custodian of Brazil's number 10 shirt is a master of improvisation with an attitude that has made Ronaldinho one of the most respected players today.

Unstoppable in qualifying and a star for FC Barcelona, Ronaldinho is capable of re-inventing the game any time he laces up his boots and World Cup 2006 is set to be his finest hour.

At the international level, Ronaldinho averages a goal every other game, having scored 27 in 60 appearances for the Samba Brigade since his debut in 1999.

Brazil's magical attacking quartet, with four players among Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Robinho, Kaka and Adriano in front steamrolled the opposition at the Confederations Cup last year. Brazil playing the daring 4-2-4 combination employed during the old, glorious days of Garrincha and Pele.

Described as "god's gift to football'' by club teammate Henrik Larsson, Ronaldinho's methods of tricking defenders include "la cola de vaca'', Spanish for cow's tail in which he flicks the ball from one shoe to another in quick succession.

Humble beginnings

What's not so well known is that his full name is actually Ronaldo de Assis Moreira. In fact, he was given the nickname Ronaldinho, which means Little Ronaldo, to help distinguish between him and his formerly more-famous strike partner.

Ronaldinho was raised by his mother in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre after his father died, and joined the youth ranks of local first-division team Gremio as a seven- year-old.

Then followed a two-year-stint with French side Paris saint-Germain in the early years of the millennium, where his manager claimed he was more focussed on the nightlife of Paris than on his game.

But in 2003 Ronaldinho Gaucho arrived in Barcelona, and went from superhero to demi-god status. The 26-year-old has been the face of a resurgent Barca, scoring 24 goals from 68 games for the Catalan giants and being the driving force behind their two consecutive la liga titles.

As the superhero's fame spread worldwide, it was quite fitting when he got his own comic series as well which was inspired by the feats of the buck toothed wonder.

But it will be no laughing matter, least of all for his opponents, when the ponytailed genius takes the field in Germany. After all, no one can forget the way he mesmerised defences in this fashion in his only previous appearance at the last world cup.

From his harsh childhood to fighting his way into the formidable Brazil forwardline to becoming the star of the world's number one team, this is one player who's turned every obstacle into a stepping stone and goes into the World Cup as the biggest star on offer.

Be more like Ronaldinho!

FRANK LAMPARD has admitted his fiancee wishes he could play more like Ronaldinho!

Lampard’s other half Elen is from Barcelona and has told the Chelsea midfielder she wants him to perform tricks like the Nou Camp’s Brazilian maestro.

The England star was runner-up to Ronaldinho in the World Player of the Year award for 2005. And he admitted: “Having grown up watching Barcelona, Elen gets a bit annoyed watching me if I don’t do flicks and tricks like Ronaldinho.

“I have to explain you can’t do that all the time in a game!”

Lampard, 27, admits he wants to live in Spain with Elen and the couple’s daughter Luna but only after he has hung up his boots.

He also revealed he has had no luck trying to show off little Luna in Chelsea colours!

Lamps said: “I would like to live in Spain but only after football.

“Luna is half-Spanish so I want her to get to know Spain well and spend plenty of time there — and, of course, it’s sunny there too.

“I bought Luna two Chelsea kits, snuck them into the house and put her in one.

“Elen laughed but took it off and they haven’t been out of the drawer since.”

Lampard had childhood ambitions to become a lawyer.

He said: “That was mainly because I watched LA Law on the telly. I’m very lucky my working day is short. A lot of my mates have to work hard in the City, they get up at 6am and some don’t get home until 7pm in the evening. I couldn’t do that.”

Ronaldinho major threat, warns Wenger

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admits Barcelona's Ronaldinho is the most dangerous threat to his Champions League dreams.

Barca held out for a 0-0 draw with AC Milan in the Nou Camp last night to book their place in the final against the Gunners in Paris on May 17th.

And although Ronaldinho failed to unlock the Milan defence last night, Wenger fears the Brazilian magician will hold the key in three weeks' time.

'Ronaldinho, at any moment, can do something special,' the Arsenal boss admitted. '[But] I think we have a chance and let's prepare well.

'If you are capable of grabbing your chance, you can win the final. We want to make it our destiny, of course.'

In contrast, Barca coach Frank Rijkaard insisted he was not even thinking about the season showpiece and was instead now focusing entirely on his side's next La Liga match against Cadiz.

'It feels good - we are very happy to be in the final. If you qualify it has gone as planned, so we are satisfied. We had to work really hard for it,' he admitted.

'But at the moment I am thinking nothing about the final. I am just thinking about the next game against Cadiz, because every game is very important for us.

'These games are more important and we will see about the final when it is our next game.'

Meanwhile, Arsenal's success this season in Europe has led the club's chairman Peter Hill-Wood to admit that he is 'dreading' the day Wenger leaves north London.

Speaking to the Daily Star, Hill-Wood offered the highest of praise for the Frenchman, saying: 'We have got the best manager of all and I dread the day when he tells us he's had enough.

'There is no plan B after Arsene. I have no idea what happens when he goes. Managers like Arsene Wenger only come around once in a lifetime. He is the best.'

Ronaldinho Bags Another Prize

This time around the galloping Gaúcho was praised by the ‘Comunidad Ibero-Americana’ (The Hispano-American community) as the expatriate organisation awarded Ronaldinho with the prize of Best Hispano-American player of 2005.

The award can be added to Ronaldinho’s growing personal trophy room after France Football crowned him with the Bola de Ouro and FIFA elected him World Player.

The Brazilian’s also a favourite in the running for the Prêmio Laureus, (Laureus Prize); a type of sporting Oscar to be awarded in the Catalan capital in May.

Ronaldinho is also in the running for the prestigious ‘Príncipe das Astúrias’ (Price of Asturias – a northern region of Spain) prize alongside Real Madrid symbol Alfredo Di Stéfano, with the speeches being given in September in the regional capital Oviedo.

Barcelona star Ronaldinho thanks Chelsea

Barcelona superstar Ronaldinho says he's grateful to Chelsea for their interest, but insists he is living a dream playing at the Nou Camp.

"It cheers me that so many people respect me," said the Brazilian. "I am having a phenomenal experience at Barcelona.

"I am thankful to everyone (for their interest), including Chelsea, but at Barcelona I have everything that I need.

"The city is wonderful, the lifestyle reminds me of Brazil, with much joy, relaxation and tranquility."

Ronaldinho not looking for new club

Ronaldinho has pledged his loyalty to current employers Barcelona.

The playmaker, who scored his side’s goal in last night’s 1-1 draw which saw Barca eliminate Chelsea to clinch a place in the Champions League quarter-finals, has been linked with a move to the London club in the summer.

Chelsea’s billionaire owner Roman Abramovich has lured a galaxy of stars to Stamford Bridge but Ronaldinho insisted he would not be tempted.

The Brazilian said: "There’s no amount of money that can buy my happiness. In football things change rapidly but I don’t see myself playing for any other club.

"I don’t think there’s any place where I could be more happy than where I am now. I see myself in Barcelona for the rest of my life."

Ronaldinho also revealed his lifestyle in the Catalan capital is behind his sublime performances on the pitch.

"My life continues to be happy," he said. "I enjoy my time on and off the pitch to the maximum and you see it in my performances in games."

Ronaldinho invited to take his bow at Old Trafford

Ronaldinho Biography

Ronaldinho signed for Barca in the 2003-04 season following in the footsteps of a number of illustrious fellow countrymen who had enjoyed successful careers with the club: Evaristo, Ronaldo, Romario and Rivaldo.

Ronaldinho began his footballing career with Gremio de Porto Alegre, where his burgeoning talent soon brought him to the attention of the international football world. During the four seasons he spent there, from 1997 to 2001, Ronaldinho also started to claim a place in the Brazilian international side. He won the Copa America in 1999 scoring six goals, including a memorable effort against Venezuela.

In 2001, Ronaldinho decided to try his luck in European football and signed for French league outfit PSG though his debut was delayed due to a financial dispute between the two clubs. Although his time with PSG was not as successful as he would have hoped, Ronaldinho continue to prosper with the international team, winning a World Cup winners' medal at the 2002 Japan-Korea championships.

Right from his very first match in a Barca shirt, the fans were seduced by Ronaldinho's spectacular brand of footballing magic. His ability to change the course of a match with a brilliant solo effort made him the reference point of the Barca attack and one of the truly great footballing icons of the opening decade of the new millennium.

In his first season, the team strung together a sensation run of seventeen consecutive matches without defeat and finished in second place in La Liga, thereby achieving direct qualification for the Champions League. This impetus carried on to the 2004-05 season and Ronaldinho and the rest of the Barca squad soon established a lead at the top of the table that would take them to the league title. In addition, the Brazilian's tremendous talent has received public recognition with individual awards such as the FIFA World Player 2004 and 2005 and the Ballon d'Or 2005.

Since then, Ronaldinho has become the leader of the mighty Brazil side, with which he won a Confederations Cup winners' medal in Germany 2005.

Ronaldinho is under contract with FC Barcelona until 30th June 2010.

June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006

General [11]