What makes ronaldinho good

Neymar: The Star Too Far. On top of that, he was reasonably productive with career goals and assists in senior career games for club and country according to Transfermarkt, which is impressive for someone who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, left midfielder and left winger.

At 29 years old, Neymar already has more career goals and assists than Ronaldinho did in his entire career which is impressive however you choose to look at it. With the sheer amount of individual talent in that Brazil squad, before and after , it would have been criminal to not win a World Cup.

Demystifying a Legend: Didier Drogba. So I ask, what does Ronaldinho really have on Neymar? For three years no one could match the wow, the wonder, the silliness, the jaw-dropping, laugh-out-loud daftness of it all. The back-heels, step-overs and rubber ankles, the power too, the change of pace, the passes without looking. The passes with his back, for goodness sake. The free-kicks over the wall, round the wall and under it. Nutmegs, lobs, bicycle kicks, everything. An advert featuring Ronaldinho showed him ambling to the corner of the penalty area, pulling on new boots, flicking a ball into the air and keeping it there.

Strolling around the area, he volleys the ball towards goal. It hits the bar and comes straight back to him, he controls it on his chest, swivels and volleys it goalwards.

Again, it hits the bar and comes back. He controls it again and, still without letting it drop, hammers it goalwards a third time. For a third time, it thuds off the bar and sails straight back.

Without letting the ball drop, he strolls back to where he started, sets it down and smiles. It is quite astonishing; it is also a fake, a montage. Or was it? There was a debate. The fact that anyone could even begin to believe that such a nonchalant demonstration of mastery might be genuine was eloquent — and only with Ronaldinho would they.

So did the shot thundering in off the crossbar against Sevilla — at 1. The goal against Milan. That toe-poke against Chelsea. Ronaldinho: a player so good he made you smile. The Brazilian has retired after an extraordinary career but his wonderful talent will be remembered for ever.

Read more. Yes, he won three league titles and the Champions League in Europe. And here is what some of his peers had to say about the great man. It was a bad time, and the change that came about with his arrival was amazing. Then the trophies started coming and he made all those people happy. Barca should always be grateful for everything he did. I remember his plays, his dribbles. I remember him winning every title at the Camp Nou.

This clip of Ronaldinho taking the piss, and the astonished reactions of the fans, might be perfect.