Originally, FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta had promised to bring David Beckham to the club, but following his transfer to Real Madrid, Barcelona entered the running for Ronaldinho and outbid Manchester United for his signature in a reported €30 million.[27][28]
2003-04 season
Ronaldinho made his team debut in a friendly against Milan at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., scoring one goal in a 2–0 victory. He scored his first goal in the La Liga on 3 September 2003 against Sevilla.[29] After receiving the ball from his goalkeeper inside his own half, Ronaldinho ran through midfield and dribbled past two Sevilla players before striking the ball from 30 yards which hammered off the underside of the crossbar and back up into the roof of the net.[29] Ronaldinho suffered from injury during the first half of the campaign,[30] and Barcelona slumped to the 12th position in the league standings midway through the season. Ronaldinho returned from injury and scored 15 goals in La Liga, helping the team finish second in the league.[31][32]
2004-05 season
Ronaldinho won his first league title in 2004–05, and was named FIFA World Player of the Year on 20 December 2004.[33] Ronaldinho's fame was growing with his entertaining and productive play in both the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. On 8 March 2005 Barcelona were eliminated from the latter competition byChelsea in the first knockout round, losing 5-4 over two legs.[34] Ronaldinho scored both goals in the 4–2 second leg loss in London, the second a spectacular strike where he dummied to shoot before striking the ball with no back-lift past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech from 20 yards out.[34]
With his contract expiring in 2008, Ronaldinho was offered an extension until 2014 that would have net him £85 million over nine years,[35] but he turned it down. In September 2005, he signed a two-year extension that contained a minimum-fee release clause that allowed him to leave should a club make an offer to Barcelona of at least £85 million for him.[36]
2005-06 season
By the end of year 2005, Ronaldinho had started to accumulate a host of personal awards. He won the inaugural FIFPro World Player of the Year in September 2005, in addition to being included in the 2005 FIFPro World XI, and being named the 2005 European Footballer of the Year. Also that year, Ronaldinho was voted the FIFA World Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.[33] He became only the third player to win the award more than once, after three time winnersRonaldo and Zinedine Zidane.[33] His domination as the world's best footballer was undisputed as he also won the prestigiousBallon d'Or for the only time in his career.[37]
He transmits a lot of joy and pleasure playing the game, and he has individual skills that are of such a high level that everybody in the world adores him.
“
”
—Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard.[38]
On 19 November, Ronaldinho scored twice as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3–0 on the road in the first leg of El Clásico. After he sealed the match with his second goal, Madrid fans paid homage to his genius with a standing ovation, so rare a tribute only the great Diego Maradona had ever been granted previously as a Barcelona player at the Santiago Bernabéu.[39] Following the game, Ronaldinho stated; "I will never forget this because it is very rare for any footballer to be applauded in this way by the opposition fans."[39]
The season is considered one of the best in Ronaldinho's career as he was an instrumental part of Barcelona's first Champions League title in 14 years. After winning their group convincingly, Barcelona faced Chelsea in the round of 16 for a rematch of the previous year.[40] Ronaldinho scored a decisive goal in the second leg, going past three Chelsea defenders on the edge of the penalty area before beating the goalkeeper, sealing Barcelona's qualification to the next round.[40] He also contributed one goal in Barcelona's elimination of Benfica in the quarterfinals with a 2–0 home victory. After a 1–0 semifinal aggregate win over Milan, in which Ronaldinho assisted the series' only goal by Ludovic Giuly, Barcelona progressed to the Champions League final, which they won on 17 May 2006 with a 2–1 defeat of Arsenal. Two weeks earlier, Barcelona had clinched their second straight La Liga title with a 1–0 win over Celta Vigo, giving Ronaldinho his first career double. He finished the season with a career-best 26 goals in all competitions, including 7 in the Champions League, and was chosen for the UEFA Team of the Year for the third consecutive time and was also named the 2005–06 UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.[31] Ronaldinho was named in the six man shortlist for the 2006 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, and was selected in the FIFA World XI.[41]
2006-07 season
When you play with him and see what he does with a ball, nothing surprises me any more. One of these days, he will make the ball talk.
“
”
— Barcelona teammate Eidur Gudjohnsen.[42]
On 25 November 2006, Ronaldinho scored his 50th career league goal against Villarreal, then later scored a second time with an overheadbicycle kick. He later said to reporters that the latter was a goal he had dreamed of scoring since he was a boy.[43] He scored once and set up two others in Barcelona's 4–0 Club World Cup win over Mexico's Club América on 14 December, but Barcelona were defeated 1–0 by Brazilian club Internacional in the final.[44] Ronaldinho was nonetheless the recipient of the Bronze Ball Award for the competition.
The next day, Ronaldinho finished third in the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, behind World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and Zinedine Zidane.[45] He was forced to miss a charity match on 13 March due to an injury he had picked up several days earlier in Barcelona's 3–3 El Clásico draw with Real Madrid.[46][47] Although Ronaldinho scored his career-best 21 league goals, the team lost the title to Real with a worse head-to-head record, as both teams finished the season with the same number of points.[31][48]
2007-08 season
He played his 200th career match for Barcelona in a league match against Osasuna on 3 February 2008. However, his 2007–08 campaign as a whole was plagued by injuries, and a muscle tear in his right leg on 3 April prematurely ended his season.[49] On 19 May, Laporta stated that Ronaldinho needed a "new challenge", claiming that he needed a new club if he were to revive his career.[50] Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra confirmed on 6 June that he was interested in acquiring him.[51]
Ronaldinho and Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi each captained a team of international stars in an anti-racism exhibition match in Venezuela on 28 June, which ended in a 7–7 draw. Ronaldinho finished with a pair of goals and two assists in what would be his last match as a Barcelona player.[52] In preparation for the 2010Joan Gamper Trophy, Ronaldinho sent an open letter to the fans and players of Barcelona, stating that his best years had been the five he spent in the Catalan club.[53] It was a sad moment for him and he later said in an interview that he regretted leaving without playing long enough with Messi
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