Twisted blood
Ronaldinho’s unpredictability was his biggest asset. A street footballer growing up, the Brazilian would call on his vast catalogue of tricks without a moment’s hesitation, which kept opponents having to second, and triple guess what he was going to do next. Take his goal for Barcelona against Chelsea in Champions League 2005.
After receiving a pass on the edge of the area from a young Andres Iniesta, the Chelsea defence sprinted towards Ronaldinho. It seemed like time had slowed down around him as he calmly stood, shuffled his heel and then unleashed an impossible toe-poke finish into the top corner with barely any back lift. It was genius and there were likely a fair few Chelsea fans inside Stamford Bridge that night who quietly agreed.
Ronaldinho won the lot too. League titles in Brazil and Spain, a Champions League, multiple cup competitions and not to mention a World Cup winners medal. He even won the Ballon D’or in 2005, which just goes to show he was instrumental in guiding teams to victory and much more than a show pony.
In his pomp, it’s hard to imagine any club in the world that wouldn’t have wanted Ronaldinho in their squad. That said, Manchester United famously missed out on signing him from Paris Saint Germain in 2003 as Barcelona bid one measly million Euros more for his services. That transfer fee bought not only a gifted player that was capable of turning a game on its head, but a box office showman that fans were desperate to see perform.