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.