Antes de él, había un Barça moribundo, un equipo gris, condenado a estrellarse constantemente, el Camp Nou era un sitio al que solamente iban quienes amaban los colores blaugranas en la salud y en la enfermedad, hasta que la muerte los separase. Aquel FC Barcelona de Gaspart y Louis Van Gaal que arrastraba el prestigio partido sí y partido también, era una pesadilla para la entidad culé y toda su feligresía, pesadilla de la que parecía imposible despertar.
Before him, there was a languishing Barça, a grey team, condemned to constantly crash and burn, the Camp Nou was a place where only those who loved the Blaugrana colours in sickness and in health would go, until death would separate them. The FC Barcelona of Gaspart and Louis Van Gaal, who dragged their prestige down match after match, was a nightmare for the club and all its faithful, a nightmare from which it seemed impossible to wake up.
Un buen día, quizá el mejor día en la historia del Club, comenzaron a sonar la cuica, el pandeiro, el repinique, el surdo, los timbaos, y se desató un carnaval por el barrio de Gracia, por Sants, se extendió por toda Barcelona, y eventualmente por España entera para, después inundar el mundo entero con una carnavalesca fiebre azul y grana. Un mago, un genio que solamente vivía de fiesta; para él el futbol era simplemente esto, disfrutaba de día, y lo hacía aun más de noche, así era él, Ronaldinho, nada haber puesto un pie en Barcelona, hizo callar la marcha fúnebre que sonaba en las tinieblas del Barça y desato su carnaval a ritmo de samba.
One fine day, perhaps the best day in the Club's history, the cuica, the pandeiro, the repinique, the surdo, the timbaos, began to play, and a carnival was unleashed in the neighbourhood of Gracia, in Sants, it spread throughout Barcelona, and eventually throughout Spain, and then flooded the whole world with a carnival fever of blue and red. A magician, a genius who only lived to party; for him football was simply this, he enjoyed it during the day, and he enjoyed it even more at night, that's how he was, Ronaldinho, as soon as he set foot in Barcelona, he silenced the funeral march that sounded in the darkness of Barça and unleashed his carnival to the rhythm of samba.
No entendía el futbol ni la vida sin asociarlos al concepto del disfrute, ‘Dinho” jugaba para divertirse y para divertirnos, y cuando el balón dejaba de rodar, el necesitaba seguir divirtiéndose. No pensaba obsesivamente en ganar, la victoria no le quitaba el sueño, no se esforzaba en ser el mejor, él sabía que lo era, pero ni siquiera le interesaba serlo.
He didn't understand football or life without associating them with the concept of enjoyment, 'Dinho' played to have fun and to make us have fun, and when the ball stopped rolling, he needed to keep having fun. He didn't think obsessively about winning, victory didn't keep him awake at night, he didn't strive to be the best, he knew he was, but he wasn't even interested in being the best.
Esa manera tan suya de correr con la pelota pegada a los pies, parecía que iba a desarmarse con el braceo desacompasado y los pies hacia dentro o hacia afuera y, sobre todo, su signo inequívoco, la sonrisa; y quizá sonreía al jugar porque el ya había visto el acto de magia casi circense que habría de acontecer un par de segundos más tarde, como el niño que sonríe después de hacer sus travesuras, solo que este “niño” era un pícaro que sonreía antes de perpetrar la pillería de turno, él sabía lo pasaría y lo disfrutaba anticipadamente.
That way of his of running with the ball glued to his feet, it seemed that he was going to disarm himself with his unhurried swing and his feet inwards or outwards and, above all, his unmistakable sign, the smile; and maybe he was smiling while playing because he had already seen the almost circus-like magic act that would happen a couple of seconds later, like the child who smiles after playing his pranks, only this "child" was a cheeky one who smiled before perpetrating the mischief of the day, he knew what would happen and he enjoyed it in advance.
Un talento descomunal que lo tenía absolutamente todo, la potencia para irse del rival con regates impensados que dejaban perplejo a propios y extraños, actos de escapismo que el mismísimo Harry Houdini habría firmado quizá hasta con un cierto resquemor. Recursos extraordinarios que rompían cualquier esquema, cualquier planteamiento, no había defensa posible contra la alegría. Un pasador perfecto, que ponía la pelota donde el quisiera, repartía magia en balones incluso mirando al sitio contrario o se inventaba una ‘espaldinha’ para habilitar al compañero de turno.
A huge talent that had absolutely everything, the power to get away from his opponents with unthinkable dribbles that left all and sundry perplexed, acts of escapism that Harry Houdini himself would have signed perhaps even with a certain amount of resentment. Extraordinary resources that broke any scheme, any strategy, there was no possible defence against joy. A perfect passer, who put the ball wherever he wanted, delivered magic balls, even looking the other way, or an invented 'espaldinha' to set up the team-mate of the moment.
De su golpeo de pelota, fuera esta quieta o en movimiento, sobra cualquier adjetivo, basta decir que el balón llevaba impresa la sonrisa de su ejecutor, los goles del ‘Dinho’ llevaban como impronta, justo eso, esa sonrisa que se terminaba contagiando a todo aquel que los presenciaba.
Of his ball striking, whether it was still or in movement, any adjective is superfluous, suffice it to say that the ball bore the smile of its executor, the goals of 'Dinho' bore as an imprint, just that, that smile that ended up being contagious to everyone who witnessed them.
Él resucitó a un Barça moribundo con su samba, su futbol, y su fiesta; para los culés fue demasiado corto pero intenso, lo que vino después para ellos con la llegada de Guardiola es harina de otro costal, lo que vino para Ronaldinho fue seguir derramando su magia en otras latitudes; algunas tan exóticas como el Club Querétaro, y siempre recordaré aquel día en el Estadio Azteca al que había asistido a ver a mi América, pero también para verlo a él y Vucetich decidió regalarnos 10 minutos del ‘Dinho’, dos goles y mucha magia en 600 segundos que fueron suficientes para que el Estadio Azteca al completo coreara su nombre, que el Americanismo se rindiera a sus pies a pesar de que había sido artífice de una humillante goleada. Ronaldinho era alegría a ultranza, te alegraba la vida incluso cuando te jugaba en contra.
He resurrected a dying Barça with his samba, his football, and his party; for the Culés it was too short but intense, what came next for them with the arrival of Guardiola is another matter, what came for Ronaldinho was to continue spreading his magic in other latitudes; some as exotic as Club Querétaro, and I will always remember that day at the Azteca Stadium where I went to see my America, but also to see him and Vucetich decided to give us 10 minutes of 'Dinho', two goals and a lot of magic in 600 seconds that were enough for the entire Azteca Stadium to chant his name, that Americanism surrendered at his feet despite the fact that he had been the architect of a humiliating defeat. Ronaldinho was joy at all costs, he made your life happy even when he was playing against you.
Alegría, poco más que decir, disfruten del recuerdo de 'O Bruxo':
Joy, little else to say, enjoy the memory of 'O Bruxo':
✍🏼: Paco Andújar ⚽