Courtesy of a official homage video by FC Barcelona..
Ronaldinho's return to the Camp Nou was one that brought back a great deal of nostalgia of an era not too far removed. It was a different Barca side, but it was one that started to once again grab headlines and capture the imagination of the football world.
Those five years of R10 were some of the most magical arguably of our generation. His final year was not one of brilliance.
He started to become more of a cancer on the team and the World Cup started to show the wear and tear of the game on him physically and mentally, but when he was on... he was the best in the world- bar none.
Although his exit from Barcelona was very similar to the exit of other greats, his impact was undeniable to the culture of this most recent generation of Barcelona. If there was one signing that changed the balance of power in Spain it was that of Ronaldinho Gaúcho to Barcelona.
The day he arrived to the Camp Nou, the dream of glory was well on its way.
Ronaldinho was the catalyst to a Barca side that found itself in quite a dire situation come the end of the 2002-03 season. The team was going through a four-year trophy drought that was compounded by Real Madrid's string of league and Champions League triumphs in the process. He was that joy to the game that the world and the blaugrana looked for.
Every play as big as his Cheshire-cat like smile that was permanently placed on his face. The Smiling Assassin was his modus operandi. Whether it was slashing through the Real Madrid defense at the Santiago Bernabéu or smashing the competition at the Camp Nou, he was the gamebreaker and the main attraction.
Barcelona's acquiring the Brazilian star from PSG under then vice president of sport Sandro Rosell after David Beckham nixed the blaugrana to head to Real Madrid was a move that would take the Catalan giants to the next level. But it was a painful, yet spectacular process in the beginning.
If Johan Cruyff changed the culture of Barcelona forever with his arrival 30 years earlier, Ronaldinho renewed that spirit to a lesser degree. The Dream Team era seemed like ancient history the season that Dinho came to Barcelona. He was the catalyst to turning the malaise that had infected Barcelona. It did take a season for the blaugrana to really adapt to La Liga after struggling mightily in the first half of Frank Rijkaard's first season.
The team turned around and almost overtook Valencia at the end of the season, which included an enormous 2-1 win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The following season there was no doubt that his frenetic beat was going to be matched by no one. He broke ankle and had people dreaming of moves that could only be done on Playstation. There were moves like the Elastico.
There were performances like that brace that he had at the Bernabéu against Real Madrid where the Madrid fans got on their feet and applauded Ronaldinho for his legendary performance.
That night he made Michel Salgado and the Madrid backline look like a training cones and he was a nightmare for Merengues all over. The titles that Barca won at that point not only placed the team at the top of the football mountain, but had Dinho atop the football universe.
We might now see him at AC Milan as a shadow of that poet laureate with the ball that he was before. Still there are times when he sharpens up that we see that greatness peer through and give us hope that someday he rekindles that fire within.
Hopefully that moment was today at his old stomping ground.
Ronaldinho's resume with Barcelona
Two league titles
Two Spanish Super Cups
One UEFA Champions League
Two-time FIFA World Player of the Year
Ballon D'Or winner
Ronaldinho's overall resume
World Cup winer (2002)
Confederations Cup (2005)
Copa America (1999)
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I was watching this game online and I really wanted to share this with you guys....
Ronaldinho at his best was probably the best player in football history...
Simply Magical...
Here's another video of his that I really love...
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Originally Posted by johno
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