09/26/2006
RONALDINHO WARNS RIVALS
Ronaldinho - warning for Barcelona rivals.
RONALDINHO WARNS RIVALSBarcelona superstar Ronaldinho sounded an ominous warning to the rest of the primera Liga by insisting: "We can still get better."
Frank Rijkaard's side have started the domestic campaign with three wins out of three, scoring nine goals in the process, and thumped Levski Sofia 5-0 in their Champions League opener for good measure.
However, Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho is not getting too carried away just yet.
"This season has started well but we can still get better," he told club website www.fcbarcelona.com.
"There are many teams out there that can create many problems for us in the fight for the title - Sevilla, Valencia and Real Madrid among others."
It is Quique Sanchez Flores' Valencia side who on Sunday travel to the Nou Camp, where they have picked up points in each of the past five seasons.
Ronaldinho is keen to buck that trend.
"We are highly motivated towards getting all three vitally important points," said the 26-year-old.
"We must pay close attention to all their players for there to be no surprises.
"Valencia are an extremely difficult team to beat and they have immense quality in attack."
Ronaldinho insists he has not been distracted by talk of a possible new deal in Catalonia.
"I'm never worried about my contract," he said. "I only worry about playing.
"My brother deals with all the paperwork, the only time I worry is when I'm on the pitch.
"I am very happy with the way things are going at the moment. Since I have come to Barca, things have gone well for me. I hope things continue like this all season and for a long time to come."
The former Paris St German star is even happy to live with Rijkaard's famed rotation policy.
"No player likes to sit out of a game, (but) the boss makes his decisions and we respect them," he said.
"I do not consider myself untouchable."
Argentinian youngster Lionel Messi picked up a thigh problem during last weekend's victory over Racing Santander but resumed full training on Thursday and is in contention.
Santiago Ezquerro has been working in isolation after injuring his left quadriceps, and is unlikely to feature.
Valencia, along with Barca and Sevilla, are the only other Primera Liga team to have a 100% record after three games.
Spain striker David Villa is hopeful that record will be extended on Sunday, although the 24-year-old knows it will be far from easy.
"We are very optimistic about the match," Villa told club website www.valenciacf.es. "We know it will be a very difficult encounter against fantastic opposition.
"Their results speak for themselves - champions of Europe, champions of Spain... they are one of the strongest teams in the world.
"Like our team, theirs is full of quality players. If one does not perform then another will. We will have to be alert until the final whistle."
Villa will come face to face with international colleague Xavi on Sunday, and is relishing the task.
"(Xavi is) a great footballer, very important for the way Barcelona play.
"I have had the pleasure of playing in the same side as him and understand very well the way he plays."
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05/21/2006
Ronaldinho: Star of the Brazilian team star of germany 2006
They call it the beautiful game back in his homeland, and Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho is one player who plays it as beautifully as many of his glorious predecessors, including the one and only Pele.
Skilful, dedicated, inspiring; Ronaldinho is the driving force behind Brazil's challenge for a sixth World Cup Trophy.
His place in the final eleven for Germany 2006 is guaranteed by the coach who has every confidence Ronaldinho can live up to the expectations that come with the title of 2005 FIFA Player Of The Year.
More than a dangerous and exciting player, the current custodian of Brazil's number 10 shirt is a master of improvisation with an attitude that has made Ronaldinho one of the most respected players today.
Unstoppable in qualifying and a star for FC Barcelona, Ronaldinho is capable of re-inventing the game any time he laces up his boots and World Cup 2006 is set to be his finest hour.
At the international level, Ronaldinho averages a goal every other game, having scored 27 in 60 appearances for the Samba Brigade since his debut in 1999.
Brazil's magical attacking quartet, with four players among Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Robinho, Kaka and Adriano in front steamrolled the opposition at the Confederations Cup last year. Brazil playing the daring 4-2-4 combination employed during the old, glorious days of Garrincha and Pele.
Described as "god's gift to football'' by club teammate Henrik Larsson, Ronaldinho's methods of tricking defenders include "la cola de vaca'', Spanish for cow's tail in which he flicks the ball from one shoe to another in quick succession.
Humble beginnings
What's not so well known is that his full name is actually Ronaldo de Assis Moreira. In fact, he was given the nickname Ronaldinho, which means Little Ronaldo, to help distinguish between him and his formerly more-famous strike partner.
Ronaldinho was raised by his mother in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre after his father died, and joined the youth ranks of local first-division team Gremio as a seven- year-old.
Then followed a two-year-stint with French side Paris saint-Germain in the early years of the millennium, where his manager claimed he was more focussed on the nightlife of Paris than on his game.
But in 2003 Ronaldinho Gaucho arrived in Barcelona, and went from superhero to demi-god status. The 26-year-old has been the face of a resurgent Barca, scoring 24 goals from 68 games for the Catalan giants and being the driving force behind their two consecutive la liga titles.
As the superhero's fame spread worldwide, it was quite fitting when he got his own comic series as well which was inspired by the feats of the buck toothed wonder.
But it will be no laughing matter, least of all for his opponents, when the ponytailed genius takes the field in Germany. After all, no one can forget the way he mesmerised defences in this fashion in his only previous appearance at the last world cup.
From his harsh childhood to fighting his way into the formidable Brazil forwardline to becoming the star of the world's number one team, this is one player who's turned every obstacle into a stepping stone and goes into the World Cup as the biggest star on offer.
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05/20/2006
Ronaldinho: 'We never panicked'
Football UEFA Champions League
Ronaldinho says Barcelona never doubted despite taking over 75 minutes to break down ten-man Arsenal to win the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Brazilian was subdued as the Liga champions struggled to overcome a resilient Arsenal side, who led for much of the game despite losing keeper Jens Lehmann after just 18 minutes to a red card.
But the Barça number ten insists the side - who scored more goals in the tournament than any other - remained confident they could breach the Gunners' defence.
"We didn't panic," said Ronaldinho, who saw Samuel Eto'o level Sol Campbell's first-half goal with just fourteen minutes left, before Juliano Belletti snatched the trophy with nine minutes remaining.
"We knew that at one moment or another, we would score. We never lost our belief. We were playing well, and we had an extra man. There was only one problem: find that final ball and finish it off. We just had to keep possession and we knew the goal would come."
The world and European footballer of the year added the only trophy that was missing from his already overburdened mantlepiece after claiming a second successive Liga title this season and winning the 2002 World Cup with his country.
But despite having won everything in the game aged just 26, Ronaldinho insisted he remains determined to continue winning trophies.
"It's another title, and that always gives you more motivation to work and improve," he said. "I want to carry on like this. Having said that, you have to enjoy it while you can, so I'm going to relax and enjoy the moment."
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05/16/2006
Ronaldinho Hopes For Happy Time In Paris
Ronaldinho left Paris St Germain in 2003 after two frustrating and unsettled seasons with the Ligue 1 side during which he failed to live up to his billing as one of the most exciting prospects in the game.
Three years on, he returns to the French capital for the Champions League final against Arsenal on Wednesday as the undisputed king of world football and the inspirational leader of a Barcelona side who are determined to cap a brilliant season by winning a second European Cup.
The effervescent Brazilian has rightly been given credit for transforming the Catalans from Primera Liga also-rans into one of the dominant clubs in Europe.
The Spanish champions have also fulfilled their part of the bargain by providing an environment in which the Brazilian's prodigious talent has been able to thrive. For both player and club it has been a marriage made in heaven.
"My future is Barcelona," Ronaldinho told Reuters recently. "I'm not thinking of anything that's not Barcelona. I have all that I could wish for and the club have made a great effort to make sure I'm happy."
It was very different, though, when Ronaldinho first arrived in Europe to sign for PSG from his home-town club Gremio in March 2001. A protracted legal argument over the size of the transfer fee delayed his debut for five months until the start of the following season.
He had a moderately successful first campaign in France, ending the season as PSG's top scorer with nine goals while the team finished fourth in the league.
It was enough for the forward to win back his place in the national team in time for the World Cup where he played a crucial role in Brazil's record fifth victory.
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05/14/2006
Laureus World Sports Awards, Barcelona 2006 Ronaldinho:Laureus Awards Are Very Important
Laureus World Sports Awards, Barcelona 2006
Ronaldinho:Laureus Awards Are Very Important
"It Is An Honor to Be on the Nominees List"
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| Ronaldinho |
BARCELONA — Brazil and FC Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho has just days to wait to see if he is acclaimed as Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, after a brilliant 2005 in which he was named FIFA's World Player of the Year for the second straight time.
Ronaldinho, one of the world's great footballers, who is expected to be the star of this summer's FIFA World Cup, said: "I am very happy. When I was told that I was selected among the nominees I felt very excited. I already know the Laureus Awards because Ronaldo told me about them. He received an award after the last World Cup. It is a great honour to be present there."
Also nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award is Spain's Fernando Alonso (Formula 1), Lance Armstrong (cycling), Roger Federer (tennis), Valentino Rossi (motor cycling) and Tiger Woods (golf).
The Laureus World Sports Awards is unique. It is the only global sports awards honouring the greatest sportsmen and women across all sports each year. The winners are selected by the ultimate sports jury - the 42 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, a collection of the world's greatest sportsmen and women. The living legends of sport honouring the great athletes of today.
The names of the winners will be announced during a televised Awards Ceremony staged at the Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona, Spain, on the evening of May 22, 2006.
Ronaldinho is only the third player to have been voted FIFA World Player of the Year more than once, following Ronaldo and France's Zinedine Zidane, who both won the award three times, Ronaldinho has demonstrated his ability to change the course of a match with brilliant solo skills which has made him the creative force of the Brcelona and Brazil attack.
Ronaldinho, who some weeks ago posed next to one of the Laureus Academy members, the legendary England football player Bobby Charlton, at Barcelona's Nou Camp Stadium, is very excited with his nomination. Now he is waiting to see if Charllton, and his fellow Academy members, vote for him to win the prestigious Laureus Award.
It is only the second time a football player has been nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award. In 2003, as a consequence of his success in the FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea, Real Madrid star Ronaldo was on the short list, but he lost to cyclist Lance Armstrong. However he was rewarded with the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award that year after his return to Brazil's team after a long term injury.
Laureus is a joint venture between DaimlerChrysler and Richemont, represented by the founding partner brands IWC and Mercedes-Benz.
Last year's Awards Ceremony, in the presence of His Majesty, The King of Spain, was attended by the legends of the Laureus World Sports Academy and Hollywood stars Jackie Chan, Morgan Freeman, Teri Hatcher and Marcia Gay Harden. Among the award winners present were Roger Federer, Kelly Holmes and Greece football coach Otto Rehhagel.
Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is a city with an enormous sporting tradition which has staged the most important sports events. The immensely successful 1992 Olympic Games gave a new impulse to sport in the city. Sport is a part of everyday life in Barcelona and during the past few years the number of high-level international championships staged in the city has multiplied. Therefore it is no surprise that Barcelona was chosen to host the Laureus World Sports Awards in 2006.
Barcelona is a Mediterranean and metropolitan city with the most modern facilities. Its unique architecture, artistic ambience and many tourist attractions have made Barcelona one of the most visited cities in the world. A business and leisure city, it is the ideal place to organise such an important moment of the sporting year - the Laureus Awards Ceremony.
http://theseoultimes.com
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Ronaldinho phones a friend
Ronaldinho has revealed his secret phone calls and text messages to Thierry Henry as he pleads with him to join Barcelona this summer.
The Brazilian superstar claims he is in regular contact with Henry which will be a major concern to Arsenal as they battle to keep their captain from the clutches of Barcelona this summer. And Ronaldinho has told the Gunners striker that there is no better place to play football than Barcelona as the two clubs prepare to meet in next Wednesday’s Champions League final.
It is also seen as a battle between the two best strikers in the world but the Barca hero insists there is room for both of them at the Nou Camp.
Ronaldinho has developed a friendship with Henry after meeting at several world player of the year events and through sponsorship commitments.
“I speak with Henry on the phone quite often, but I haven’t spoken to him this week. This week we have swapped a few text messages. He is a fantastic player, one of the best in the world,” said Ronaldinho.
“But this is not a contest between Ronaldinho and Henry, it is a game between Barca and Arsenal and we all have to be prepared.
Henry is a player who has a lot of quality and he could go to any team in the world and make it better.
“He is so good technically, has great pace and has a lot of force. He has the characteristics of a player that could adapt to any team in the world.
“I’m not thinking to myself that in the final I can impress him and convince him to join us. That’s not my priority. My objective is to do my best for my team. It won’t be me that makes his decision for him. But I can say that it’s always a good thing to have great players in your team and that is what we have here.”
Ronaldinho has become a superstar since joining Barcelona from Paris Saint Germain three years ago.
He said: “It’s special for me to go back to a city that I love for the final of the Champions League which is the biggest game there is in club football,” he said.
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