WORLD SOCCER PLAYER OF THE DECADE
RONALDINHO
2000-09
Icon…Ronaldinho graced the cover on multiple occasions
The “Dinho” question
R
onaldo de Assis Moreira, better known as Ronaldinho, is World Soccer’ Soccer’s Player of the Decade. Based on the votes cast by readers in the ten annual votes between 2000 and 2009, the Brazilian – who was our World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 – is the outstanding performer of the past ten years. Ronaldinho finished ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as other winners of the individual award, including Michael Owen, Pavel Nedved and Fabio Cannavaro. The unique accolade, an award predominantly for his superhuman efforts for Barcelona, is a far cry from his current situation in Italy. But is Ronaldinho finally about to deliver again? When the Brazilian ace was formally “presented” to the Milan faithful last year, he was greeted at the San Siro like some sort of all-conquering hero, wooed by pulsating samba rhythms, a firework display and a 30,000-strong crowd. Eighteen months later, those same Milan supporters might be entitled to ask themselves if he was worth all the fuss.
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PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Even no less a figure than Pier Silvio Berlusconi – son of the prime minister and the club’s owner, Silvio Berlusconi – recently criticised the club’s estimated £16 million purchase of Ronaldinho from Barcelona. “If it had been up to me, I would have gone down another, more long-term road rather than buying a player for the immediate short term,” Berlusconi junior told reporters during a TV business fair in Monte Carlo in November, in reference to “Il Dentone”(the big toothy one).
When Brazil coach Dunga left Ronaldinho out of the squad for the World Cup qualifiers last autumn, there were those even willing to speculate this was the end of the international road for him. Unconfirmed sources told us that a dejected “Dinho” was even thinking of chucking it all in. He had had enough. Dunga, meanwhile, merely urged people to leave the player alone and allow him to regain his best form. Which, curiously, is what he appears
Samba style… celebrating a goal
