The Playmakers: Ronaldinho Gaucho

Every single fan of the beautiful game on this planet has seen his or her jaw drop at the sight of Ronaldinho going on a mazy run with the ball. It’s often said that players who are trick ponies don’t often make the best players in the world, but Ronaldinho dispelled and destroyed that notion with his play on the field. A highly confident Ronaldinho doesn’t think about what he does with the ball at his feet, or his back, he just does it. And when he is done with a move, all the little boys and girls in the world go outside and practice.

Ronaldinho was born in Rio Grande in a small town where he was well known by the locals. His older brother Roberto was signed by Gremio when Ronaldinho was a child. Roberto’s professional career moved the family to a better neighborhood in Porto Alegre. The young Ronaldinho followed after his older brother in soccer, but he had more interest in playing Futsal. His experiences with Futsal helped him with his touch and improved his technique.

He began his career in the Gremio academy system playing for the youth teams. He got a chance to showcase his skills on the international stage in 1997 at the youth World Cup in Egypt. He would go on and score two penalties in that tournament. With his profile fast rising, the young Ronaldinho started looking for offers abroad. In 2001 he joined France’s Ligue One outfit Paris Saint Germain. At the beginning, the fans did not know what they were getting, but Ronaldinho soon wowed them with his skills and personality. Not since Jay Jay Okocha played at the Parc des Prince has a player brought so much panache to the fans. They were even more enamored with the player when they had their derby games against their biggest and oldest rival Marseille.

But Ronaldinho’s stay at Paris St. Germain was not the happiest moment in the player’s life or the fan’s. His partying ways started to creep into his performances. When he appeared to get too relaxed on the field and didn’t show the dedication the fans wanted, they turned against him.

Ronaldinho had a better time in the World Cup a year later when he helped Brazil win their 5th cup. The then unknown Brazilian became a media sensation when he scored a phenomenal goal against England. He caught David Seaman off his line with a deftly taken free kick.

After that wonder strike, it wasn’t long before the big teams of world soccer started knocking on his door.

Ronaldinho’s signing for Barcelona, marked the beginning of major success for the player and the club. With the famous number 10 on his back, Ronaldinho wowed fans and critics. Opponents applauded his moves and players all around the world tried to watch his technique and bravado. Such was his comfort on the Camp Nou field that he often bounced the ball off his back and pulled out stunt after stunt to the amazement of his opponents. He went on to win Fifa’s World Player of The Year back to back along with a host of other awards for his play on the field.

Though he would have a lot of success with Barcelona –winning the Champions League in 2006 and the League –and with Brazil –winning the Copa America –Ronaldinho’s stay with Barca was not without problems. Ronaldinho has proved to be the type of player who needs to be constantly challenged. With success attained and confirmed at Barcelona, the player started drifting towards the party lifestyle. When an injury kept him out of the team, Ronaldinho was spotted at clubs and bars, staying out late into the morning hours. This behavior did not sit well with the brass at Barcelona, and it created a rift between the player and head coach Frank Rijkaard who had been the player’s biggest fan.

When Barcelona had enough of his antics, they opened the door for the player to move elsewhere. Ronaldinho signed for Italian giants AC Milan, joining compatriots Kaka and Alexandre Pato.

Though many people have condemned his partying ways, no one is naïve enough to doubt his effectiveness in a game. Ronaldinho has singlehandedly won many games for his teams, but he has also proved to be an enigma to his coaches. There is no prelude in the form of a player that led to Ronaldinho’s success, but he has allowed legions of future players to believe they can truly express themselves.

Up and Comers: Nilmar

Soccer players are lucky if they can find one club to play for in their career. And in a place like Brazil where there are a lot of players coming through on a daily basis, players can get lost in the mix.

Like many young Brazilian players, Nilmar came onto the playing scene with a shout. The striker came through the Internacional youth teams and impressed fans and coaches so much that European teams started knocking on his door to pry him away from his beloved Brazil. And like many young players before him, the player answered the call.

He was recruited by French Ligue One side Lyon, as an understudy for Brazilian compatriot Giovane Elber, who was injured at the time. His contract stipulated that he would be loaned back to Internacional once the older Brazilian striker was fit.

In his first season with Lyon, Nilmar impressed in the first few games. Carrying with him the traditional Brazilian flair and enthusiasm, it wasn’t long before the fans warmed up to him. But the truth of the matter is that strikers are expected to score goals. Nilmar was good at playing with the ball, but he just couldn’t find the back of the net. And with other strikers on the scene, the team had to make decisions that would be in their favor and not necessarily the player’s. Lyon went looking for another striker and found one in Brazilian Fred.

With Fred, Baros, Sylvain Wiltord, and Sydney Govou on the scene, Nilmar was loaned out to Brazilian outfit Corinthians. Back in Brazil, the player found new air to breathe and it showed in his performances. His amazing dribbling skills and his playmaking abilities helped him gel with the team. He was also able to start scoring goals on the regular despite missing some games because of injury.

On the surface, Corinthians was a good place for the player to continue showcasing his talents, but in the long run it turned out to be anything but. Lyon no longer felt that they needed the player so they sold him to Corinthians, but the Brazilian club would not do well by the player. They owed the player his wages, and when they did not pay, an employment court in Brazil forced them to terminate their contract with Nilmar and made him a free agent.

Though they were a lot of European teams vying for his signature, the now more mature player made the decision not to leave Brazil. He signed for his first club Internacional. During his second stint with Internacional, he proved to be a success and easily established himself as one of the team’s leaders on the field. European teams came knocking again in the summer of 2008, but the Internacional board of directors turned down a 15 Million Euro offer from Italian side Palermo.

Nilmar, in his short career has won the FIFA World Youth Championship with Brazil (2003), the French Super Cup and French Championship with Lyon(2005), the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A(2005) and top goal scorer with Corinthians(2006) and the Dubair Cup(2008), Copa Nissan Sudamericana(2008), and Campeonato Gaucho witn Internacional (2003, 2004, 2008)

Though he has had a few glances thrown his way by the Brazilian national team, Nilmar has not been able to establish himself as a regular member of that popular club. A future in Europe is still on the cards for the Brazilian, and fans worldwide will be glad to watch him play, if they can pick him out of the crowd of extremely talented Brazilian youngsters.

The Playmakers: Cristiano Ronaldo

To be considered a Manchester United legend you most certainly have got to wear the number 7 shirt. You have to score amazing goals with ease, and you have to have an ego that cannot be easily knocked down. Cristiano Ronaldo meets all of these requirements, but more than that, he has a bag of tricks that can challenge even the world’s most technically gifted players.

Ronaldo is the rare type of player with his eyes solely fixed on the prize. His desire to win and be better than his contemporaries is unmatched in the game and has driven him to success. It has allowed him to be considered as Manchester’s greatest number 7.

Ronaldo started his playing career at CD Nacional, but he would not stay at the small Portuguese club for long. Two years after playing for Nacional, Ronaldo was scooped up by legendary Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon, the club that produced Luis Figo. He would go on and play for every single team in the Sporting system in his first year, including the first team. Ronaldo achieved his biggest feat at that time by scoring twice on his debut.

The Madeira born winger had been long scouted by the top clubs in Europe, especially by then Liverpool coach Gerard Houllier, before he got his chance to play against Manchester United in a pre-season game for Sporting Lisbon. The youngster took the chance to impress with aplomb. Such was his performance and ability in the game that Sir Alex Ferguson’s players including the highly regarded Roy Keane advised the manager to sign the untried winger for the storied Old Trafford club.

Ferguson knew other clubs were after the player, including his foe at Arsenal Arsene Wenger. When he signed for Manchester United, Ronaldo was a weak player with a set style of play, but under the tutelage of the master Ferguson, Ronaldo started showing other aspects of his game. The player had asked to keep the number 28 he wore at Sporting, but the Manchester United coach felt he would do better as the next installment in a long impressive line of number 7s in Manchester’s history.

His biggest improvement came in the form of his goal scoring. When the player discovered his scoring touch, he eclipsed the likes of David Beckham and George Best in United folklore. In 2008, the Portuguese wizard achieved the feat of scoring 42 goals in on season. It was the highest amount of goals scored by a winger in the history of the game. Ronaldo went on to collect every player award in the game, including world’s best player.

Though he is loved by the Manchester United fans, Ronaldo has not had an easy relationship with them. When he caused Wayne Rooney to get ejected in World Cup 2006, Ronaldo was jeered by his own fans when he returned to the Theatre of Dreams. He was able to get over that wall, but he made things worse by tempting the greedy fingers at Real Madrid. Fans were sure the player would jump ship, but he stayed and helped them win the Champions League and the Premier League. In the long run some fans may see Ronaldo as an enigma, but most will remember him as Manchester United’s best player ever.

Dynamic Men: Lassana “Lass” Diarra

Being a journey man is not always kindly looked upon in the world of soccer, but when a talented player is driven to move due to his ambitions to play for and with the best, you cannot fault him for being a flippant. Lassana has in the very same manner as Claude Makalele, proved that he is a player most teams cannot do without. He is not the biggest player on the field, but his industry makes up for his lack of size. His rise in profile has been rapid since the day he left Chelsea and no one can deny the positive affect he has on a team.

Diarra’s description as a journey man started as a young player when he joined Nantes as a child. The youngster was told by the people in charge at Nantes that he was too small and could not make it as a professional player. Determined to prove the world wrong, the hard headed midfielder headed to Le Mans to try his luck with a smaller club. There, he discovered that no one was interested in turning him into a professional player. The player himself has said that the people at Le Mans did not seem to care about him at all. So he left Le Mans to join his last French club Le Havre. While at Le Havre, the midfielder put in impressive performances in the defensive midfield position which caught the attention of the French under 21 manager.

Further stellar performances led the player into the thoughts of the bigger clubs. Chelsea, with Makelele getting past his best, jumped on the chance to sign the youngster from Le Havre in July 2005. the player was so impressive that the notoriously egotistical Jose Mourinho could not stop talking about him. Though he was doing well at Chelsea and getting his chances on the international level, Lassana could not get the playing time he wanted at Chelsea.

In 2007, Lassana made a decision that would have a major impact in his career. He joined Arsene Wenger’s supremely talented Gunners side. Though he had the ability to play at Arsenal, he was faced with the truth that there were other players at the club that were playing at the same level, and who were around the same age. Diarra could not displace Flamini or Denilson in the Arsenal team, although he was higher than Flamini on the French midfield pecking order. So he did what he does best and jumped ship to join Portsmouth.

At Portsmouth, the talented midfielder became a household name in a mid-level club. Diarra’s dynamism stunned the crowds and made him a favorite among the players. When he played, Portsmouth played their best games. His ability to control the midfield allowed players like Kranjcar to go forward and attack their opponents with full force.

Though he seemed happy at Portsmouth, Diarra would be on the move again. After then manager Redknapp left Portsmouth, Diarra was pursued by Spanish mega-giants Real Madrid. An offer from Madrid is tempting for any player, and the idea of controlling the midfield of the most successful team in Spanish history proved to be the ultimate inspiration. Diarra left Portsmouth and joined the talented whites in Spain.

Diarra’s career has been dictated by the player’s ambitions, and it’s easy to assume that he is still trying to get back at the people from Nantes for rejecting him, but he has proved that talent and desire can push a player to great heights.

Dynamic Men: Andrea Pirlo

In a country that produced the likes of Gianni Rivera, Roberto Baggio and Salvatore Schilachi, it isn’t easy making a name for yourself in the fantasista or number ten position. There have been a few players who have come close to being the perfect gem for Italy. Alex Del Piero tried it with decent success, and then Francesco Totti came along and did it with little success. Domenico Morfeo sniffed around it and failed terribly.

For Italian fans, Andrea Pirlo is a player in a league of his own. He started out in that fantasista position but when the competition was too full, he was given a new position of his own to master. In this position, halfway between the fantasista and the defensive midfielder, he is able to control the rhythm and tempo of the game. With his playmaking abilities and a newly added defensive game to his arsenal, Pirlo turned into an un-defendable schemer. No one knows where exactly he will ping a ball from. He is smooth enough to run with the ball at his feet, and he has enough grit to get fully involved in a tackle.

Born in Flero, Lombardy, Pirlo started playing soccer with his hometown club Brescia. He played for the team in an offensive midfield capacity. His performances were decent enough for the bigger teams to start taking a look at him. He got his chance when he secured a move to Italian super power Inter Milan.

The playmaker was just another number at Inter Milan and couldn’t find enough games to make a name for himself. So he went out on loan with Reggina. He would have moderate success with Reggina, but he still wasn’t considered the complete article. And when he returned to Inter Milan, he was sent back out on loan to his first club Brescia. This second loan spell would prove to be a major step forward for the young playmaker. His performances caught the attention of AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti who had a better idea in mind for the young man’s talents.

When he signed for Milan, the team already had the likes of Portuguese master Rui Costa and Dutchman Clarence Seedorf playing in the playmaker position, but Ancelotti’s gamble would prove to be a masterstroke for both the team and the player. Ancelotti moved Pirlo a few steps behind the number ten position and improved his defensive abilities in tandem with the monster that is Gerrano Gattuso. Pirlo was able to control the game from a deeper position instead of having to go back and seek the ball. The ball came to him easier because he was more accessible.

On the international stage, Pirlo literally walked into the Italian national team. Coach Marcelo Lippi used the player in the exact same position he played at AC Milan. In the 2006 world cup, Pirlo would go on and have some of the best performances of his entire career. The Italians are notorious for being difficult to beat, but with the ball at Pirlo’s feet, they proved to be a bigger threat than anyone expected. His performance in the final was one of the best in the entire tournament. Italy went on and won the World Cup and Pirlo was voted as the third best player in the tournament behind Zinedine Zidane and compatriot Fabio Cannavaro.