The popular sport, football is known and respected globally for a lot of reasons. The same goes to majority of its players. Basically, the game is fun, interesting and a loving one. It is competitive and because of this usually initiate hate and aggression although there are organized checks and balances for that. A lot of great players have come and gone in the history of the game but football rivalry as especially well played in the competition between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the annual global accolade (Balon D’or), since a decade ago is very significant. However, a great player once lived before the duo that defy some unbelievable odds in football. That makes him a really great player and cemented his place in history as one of those to reckon with talking the goals, skills, dribbles and respects. I am talking Ronaldinho. He is just incredible, but maybe for the following reasons;
Training (return ball) with the crossbar
I have never seen any football player do this so perfectly. In one of his training session, Ronaldinho joggles the ball and plays it to hit the crossbar and back to his position. To show us that the trick is no fluke, he did this so many times. |He did this repeatedly and the ball never touches the ground. I must say he plays perfectly with the crossbar like he was playing with another player. Whaooo. That is genius!
Juggling the ball with blindfold
A lot of fantastic football players did this and failed but Ronaldinho excelled. If I couldn’t remember anyone else, I remembered Chiellini, Xavi, Walcott, Sweinsteiger and Lewandowski all put up a trial of the blindfold ball joggling task but none of them could hit 10 counts. However, Ronaldinho tried it as well as won gallantly. He wouldn’t have done this better with a stunning 43 counts. Again a huge difference.
Bottle Water Trick
We saw virtually all the types of goals football can produce in the days of Ronaldinho, especially at his peak. He scored so many ‘crazy’ goals that football fans couldn’t despise his talents. He keeps getting the love throughout the world because of his absolute tricks and genius. I bet no other player in the history of football has tried the bottle water trick. Ronaldinho simply walked to the opposition keeper in the middle of a match for water and he gave him his bottle water. Seconds after, the ball was played unto his path and he assisted a beautifully placed goal. Would we say the goalkeeper was wrong to have given him water?
Played an assist with his back
As if the water bottle trick is not enough, Ronaldinho showed us another piece of trick by assisting a fine goal with his back. Although we have seen players like Alexis Sanchez and Cristiano Ronaldo controlling the ball with their back, no other player has been seen assisting a goal via the same trick. Another piece of brilliance.
Controlling the ball with his back
A reputable inventor of football skills, he controlled the ball with his back too. You can’t just get tired of watching Ronaldinho as you don’t know what fun you would have next from his play. Absolute wonder!
Dancing Before Shooting
I bet Chelsea players and fans wouldn’t forget this. If they do, Peter Cech would never try to. It is definitely one of the beautiful goals scored against him where he has no chance at all to stop the ball from scoring. After getting to the edge of the box in front of the many Chelsea defenders, Ronaldinho managed to put up a dance that caused them confusions before playing a beautiful but cracking shot into the goal post. The keeper had no chance! Beautiful work of football art.
Stealing the ball from goalkeepers
Ronaldinho wouldn’t stop terrorizing goalkeepers with his undaunted skills, dribbling brilliance and unexpected goals. He still prove a thorn in goalkeepers flesh if they are slack in any way. He could be creepy atimes, hiding around goalkeepers to steal the ball from them. Although sometimes he gets yellow carded for this but he wouldn’t stop showing his smartness as he keeps trying.
Gets applauded by rival fans
If you are a fan of Spanish football, you would know how terrible the rivalry between their topmost clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona is. El Classico matches are always like the tug of war and fans as well as players respond to themselves with aggression and hard comments. Guess what? Ronaldinho beats the odd. He scored two sensational goals against Real Madrid in Barcelona shirt and he got applauded for his massive brilliance with which he beat the Real Madrid players by their own fans. Wonderful!
Respected by opponents
His skills and brilliance made him a player to love and be respected by virtually all football fans and players. Always smiling on and off the ball, he gives you a feeling that he is comfortable doing all he does really brilliantly. A footage of a player bowing in Ronaldinho’s presence in build to a game once went viral. It is not actually the first time similar thing would be happening. He has been respected severally by the coaches and members of the opposition teams and fans, showing him how much loved and adored he is. He once left the field of play without his jersey and soccer boots because his opponents demanded for them. What love and respect for a player???
Field invasion for his sake is really incredible
I bet the five times Balon D’or duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t even have this feat. Yes fans invade the field for them as well but not as much as in the days of Ronaldinho. Sometimes matches are stopped just to ensure things are back in order all because of an invasion to snap pictures with him or take his autographs. Fans just want to be associated with him. Who wouldn’t want to be associated with his kind of brilliance anyway…
Many players have come and gone. Many are still playing the game, but I guess no one as talented as Ronaldinho has never been watched since his fall from peak. We need another Ronaldinho to sweeten the game again.
-nandohill
