Prompt: Question: Tell me a bio of Ronaldinho.

Ronaldinho

<s>Ronaldinho Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a winger. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d'Or. He is the only player ever to have won a World Cup, a Copa América, a Confederations Cup, a Champions League, a Copa Libertadores and a Ballon d'Or. A global icon of the sport, Ronaldinho was renowned for his technical skills, creativity, dribbling ability and accuracy from free-kicks, his use of tricks, feints, no-look passes and overhead kicks, as well as his ability to score and create goals, all prominent characteristics of his early-age background playing futsal. Ronaldinho made his career debut for Grêmio, in 1998. At age 20, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain in France before signing for Barcelona in 2003. In his second season with Barcelona, he won his first FIFA World Player of the Year award as Barcelona won the

Ronaldinho

2004–05 La Liga title. The season that followed is considered one of the best in his career as he was integral in Barcelona winning the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, their first in fourteen years, and another La Liga title, giving Ronaldinho his first career double, receiving the 2005 Ballon d'Or and his second FIFA World Player of the Year in the process. After scoring two spectacular solo goals in the first 2005–06 El Clásico, Ronaldinho became the second Barcelona player, after Diego Maradona in 1983, to receive a standing ovation from Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabéu. Following a second-place La Liga finish to Real Madrid in the 2006–07 season and an injury-plagued 2007–08 season, Ronaldinho suffered a decline in his performances—often put down to a decrease in dedication and focus having achieved so much in the sport—and departed Barcelona to join AC Milan, where he won the 2010–11 Serie A. He returned to Brazil to play for Flamengo in 2011 and Atlético Mineiro a year later where he won the 2013 Copa Libertadores, before moving to Mexico to play for Querétaro and then back to Brazil to play for Fluminense

Ronaldinho

in 2015. Ronaldinho accumulated numerous other individual awards in his career: he was included in the UEFA Team of the Year and the FIFA World XI three times each, and was named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year for the 2005–06 season and South American Footballer of the Year in 2013; in 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. In his international career with Brazil, Ronaldinho earned 97 caps and scored 33 goals and represented his country in two FIFA World Cups. After debuting with the "Seleção" by winning the 1999 Copa América, he was an integral part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning team, starring alongside Ronaldo and Rivaldo in an attacking trio, and was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. As captain, he led his team to the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup title and was named man of the match in the final. He also captained the Brazil Olympic team to a bronze medal in men's football at the 2008 Summer Olympics.</s><s>Early and personal life. Ronaldo de Assis Moreira was born on 21 March 1980 in the city of Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Ronaldinho

His mother, Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos, was a salesperson who studied to become a nurse. His father, João de Assis Moreira, was a shipyard worker and a footballer for the local club Esporte Clube Cruzeiro (not to be confused with the larger Cruzeiro Esporte Clube). After Ronaldo's older brother Roberto signed with Grêmio, the family moved to a home in the more affluent Guarujá section of Porto Alegre, which was a gift from Grêmio to convince Roberto to stay at the club. Still, Roberto's career was ultimately cut short by injury. It was in their new home where his father hit his head and drowned in the swimming pool when Ronaldo was eight. Today, Roberto acts as his manager, while his sister Deisi works as his press coordinator. Ronaldo's football skills began to blossom at the age of eight, and he was first given the nickname "Ronaldinho" – "inho" meaning small – because he was often the youngest and the smallest player in youth club matches. He developed an interest in futsal and beach football, which later expanded to organized football. Many of his signature moves originate from futsal

Ronaldinho

, especially his ball control. His first brush with the media came at the age of 13, when he scored all 23 goals in a 23–0 victory against a local team. Ronaldinho was identified as a rising star at the 1997 U-17 World Championship in Egypt, in which he scored two goals on penalty kicks. Growing up, his idols included the World Cup winning stars; Rivelino (from 1970), Diego Maradona (from 1986), Romário (from 1994), and his two future international teammates Ronaldo and Rivaldo (which would form the attacking trio in Brazil's 2002 World Cup winning team). Ronaldinho is the father of a son, João, born on February 25, 2005, to Brazilian dancer Janaína Mendes and named after his late father. He gained Spanish citizenship in 2007. In March 2018, Ronaldinho joined the Brazilian Republican Party, which has links to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Ronaldinho endorsed presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro in the 2018 Brazilian presidential election.</s><s>Club career.</s><s>Club career.:Grêmio. Ronaldinho's career began with the Grêmio youth squad. He made his senior side debut during the 1998 Copa Libertadores. 1999

Ronaldinho

saw the emergence of the 18-year-old Ronaldinho, with 22 goals in 47 matches, and he put in headlining displays in derbies against Internacional, most notably on 20 June 1999 in the Rio Grande do Sul State Championship final. In a match-winning performance, Ronaldinho embarrassed Internacional's Brazilian legend and 1994 World Cup-winning captain Dunga, flicking the ball over his head on one occasion, and leaving him flat-footed in a mazy dribble on another. Ronaldinho achieved further success with Grêmio, winning the inaugural Copa Sul. In 2001, Arsenal expressed interest in signing Ronaldinho, but the move collapsed after he could not obtain a work permit because he was a non-EU player who had not played enough international matches. He considered playing on loan with Scottish Premier League side St Mirren, which never happened due to his involvement in a fake passport scandal in Brazil.</s><s>Club career.:Paris Saint-Germain. In 2001, Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract with French club Paris Saint-Germain in a €5 million transfer. Upon his arrival in Paris, Ronaldinho was given the number 21 shirt and inserted into a lineup that included fellow Brazilian Aloís

Ronaldinho

io, midfielder Jay-Jay Okocha and striker Nicolas Anelka.</s><s>Club career.:Paris Saint-Germain.:2001–02 season. Ronaldinho made his league debut for the club on 4 August 2001, appearing as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Auxerre. Ronaldinho spent the majority of the first few months of the 2001–02 season alternated between the bench and starter's role. He scored his first goal for the club on 13 October in a 2–2 draw against Lyon, converting the equalizing penalty in the 79th minute after having come on ten minutes prior. After returning from the winter break, Ronaldinho went on a tear, scoring a goal in four consecutive matches to open the new campaign. He recorded impressive goals against Monaco, Rennes, Lens and Lorient. On 16 March 2002, he recorded a double in PSG's 3–1 victory against relegation strugglers Troyes. He scored his final league goal of the season in the club's 2–0 win over Metz on 27 April. Ronaldinho was also influential in the 2001–02 Coupe de la Ligue, helping PSG reach the semi-finals where they were eliminated by Bordeaux. In a Round of 16 match

Ronaldinho

against Guingamp, Ronaldinho scored two second half goals in the game after having entered the match as a half-time substitute. Despite Ronaldinho's initial success with the club, the season was marred by controversy with Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Fernández, claiming that the Brazilian was too focused on the Parisian nightlife rather than football, and complained that his holidays in Brazil never ended at the scheduled times.</s><s>Club career.:Paris Saint-Germain.:2002–03 season. Despite repeated rifts with Fernández, Ronaldinho returned to the team for the 2002–03 season, with the player switching to the number 10 shirt. Though his performances in his second season with the club were underwhelming compared to his first, Ronaldinho performed admirably with the club. On 26 October 2002, he scored two goals in PSG's 3–1 victory over "Classique" rivals Marseille. The first goal was a free kick, which curled past numerous Marseille players in the 18-yard box before sailing past goalkeeper Vedran Runje. In the return match, he again scored in PSG's 3–0 victory at the Stade Vélodrome, running half the length of the field

Ronaldinho

before flicking the ball over the goalkeeper. On 22 February 2003, Ronaldinho scored the goal of the season (chosen by public vote) against Guingamp — he beat one opponent before playing a one-two to beat another, then lifted the ball over a third before beating a fourth with a step over (dropping his shoulder, moving right but going left) and finished by lifting the ball over the goalkeeper. Ronaldinho was also praised for his performance in the Coupe de France when he scored both goals in the club's 2–0 win over Bordeaux in the semi-finals, which inserted PSG into the final. After scoring his first goal in the 22nd minute, Ronaldinho capped the game in the 81st minute, accurately chipping the ball at the 18-yard box over the head of goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé, despite Ramé being in a favorable position. For his performance, Ronaldinho was given a standing ovation by the Parisian supporters. Unfortunately for the club, however, Ronaldinho and the team failed to capture the form that got them to the final as they bowed out 2–1 to Auxerre due to a last minute goal from Jean-Alain Boumsong. Despite Ronaldinho's performances, the club

Ronaldinho

finished in a disappointing 11th-placed position. Following the season, Ronaldinho declared he wanted to leave the club after the capital club failed to qualify for any European competition.</s><s>Club career.:Barcelona. Newly elected FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta stated, "I said we would lead Barça to the forefront of the footballing world, and for that to occur we had to sign one of these three players, David Beckham, Thierry Henry or Ronaldinho". Henry remained with Arsenal, and Laporta then promised to bring 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 €30 million deal.</s><s>Club career.:Barcelona.:2003–04 season. The club where he would spend his peak years and the basis of his global fame, Ronaldinho made his Barcelona debut in a friendly against Juventus at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on 27 July, with coach Frank Rijkaard stating post match, "He has something special every time he touches the ball." He scored his first competitive goal in La Liga on 3 September 2003 against Sevilla at 1.30 a.m. local time, in a match that kicked off

Ronaldinho

at five minutes past midnight. After receiving the ball from his goalkeeper inside his own half, Ronaldinho ran through the 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. Ronaldinho suffered from injury during the first half of the campaign, and Barcelona slumped to 12th in the league standings midway through the season. Ronaldinho returned from injury and scored 15 goals in La Liga during the 2003–04 season, helping the team ultimately finish second in the league. His scooped pass set up the winning goal for Xavi away to Real Madrid on 25 April 2004, the club's first win at the Bernabéu in seven years, a result Xavi credits as the start of "the Barcelona rise."</s><s>Club career.:Barcelona.: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. His captain at Barcelona, Carles Puyol, stated, "The greatest compliment I could give him is that he's given Barcelona our spirit back. He has made us smile again." His fame was growing with his entertaining and productive play in both the La

Ronaldinho

Liga and the UEFA Champions League. On 8 March 2005, Barcelona were eliminated from the latter competition by Chelsea in the first knockout round, losing 5–4 over two legs. Ronaldinho scored both goals in the 4–2 second leg loss at Stamford Bridge in London, the second a spectacular strike where he feinted to shoot before striking the ball with little back-lift past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech from 20 yards out. On 1 May 2005, Ronaldinho made the assist for Lionel Messi's first goal for Barcelona, executing a scooped pass over the Albacete defence for Messi to finish. With his contract expiring in 2008, Ronaldinho was offered an extension until 2014 that would have net him £85 million over nine years, 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.</s><s>Club career.:Barcelona.:2005–06 season. By the end of the 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

Ronaldinho

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. He became only the third player to win the award more than once, after three-time winners Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane. His domination as the world's best footballer was undisputed as he also won the prestigious Ballon d'Or for the only time in his career. 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 performance by applauding, so rare a tribute only Diego Maradona had ever been granted previously as a Barcelona player at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. 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." 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

Ronaldinho

. 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. He also contributed one goal in Barcelona's elimination of Benfica in the quarter-finals with a 2–0 home victory. After a 1–0 semi-final 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 beating of Arsenal. Two weeks earlier, Barcelona had clinched their second-straight La Liga title with a 1–0 win over Celta de Vigo, giving Ronaldinho his first career double. Throughout the season, Ronaldinho linked up with prolific Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o in attack, providing a number of assists to the 34 goal striker; Ronaldinho's pass also put Eto'o through on goal in the Champions League Final from which he was brought down by Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann who was sent off. Ronaldinho finished the season with a career-best 26 goals, including seventeen in La Liga and seven in the Champions League, and was chosen for the UEFA Team of the Year

Ronaldinho

for the third consecutive time and was named the 2005–06 UEFA Club Footballer of the Year. He was named in the six man shortlist for the 2006 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, and was selected in the FIFA World XI.</s><s>Club career.:Barcelona.:2006–07 season. On 25 November 2006, Ronaldinho scored his 50th career league goal against Villarreal, then scored a second time with a spectacular overhead bicycle kick; receiving Xavi's cross, he flicked the ball up with his chest and spun 180 degrees to finish – Barcelona fans waved white handkerchiefs in admiration of the goal. Post match he told reporters that the latter was a goal he had dreamed of scoring since he was a boy. 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 in Yokohama, Japan, but Barcelona were defeated 1–0 by Brazilian club Internacional in the final. Ronaldinho was 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 2006 World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and Zinedine Zidane.

Ronaldinho

In March 2007, defending champions Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League at the last 16 stage by Liverpool. Ronaldinho 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. 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.</s><s>Club career.:Barcelona.:2007–08 season. Ronaldinho played his 200th career match for Barcelona in a league match against Osasuna on 3 February 2008. His 2007–08 campaign as a whole, however, was plagued by injuries, and a muscle tear in his right leg on 3 April prematurely ended his season. Having been a model professional and devoted himself to training during his hugely successful first three seasons at Barcelona, Ronaldinho's partying lifestyle and lack of dedication to training saw his physical condition decline, with many at the club believing he was already below his prime. On 19 May 2008, Barcelona club president Joan Laporta stated that Ronaldinho needed a "new challenge", claiming that he needed a new club if he were to revive his

Ronaldinho

career. 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. In preparation for the 2010 Joan 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. It was a sad moment for him and he later said in an interview that he regretted leaving without playing long enough with Messi.</s><s>Club career.:AC Milan. In July 2008, Ronaldinho turned down a £25.5 million offer from Manchester City of the Premier League, with purported wages of £200,000 per week on offer, to join Italian Serie A giants AC Milan on a three-year contract thought to be worth around £5.1 million (€6.5 million) a year, for €22.05 million plus €1.05 million bonus each season (€24.15 million in 2010). With the number 10 already occupied by teammate Clarence Seedorf, he selected 80 as his jersey number.</s><s>Club

Ronaldinho

career.:AC Milan.:2008–09 season. Ronaldinho scored his first goal for Milan in a 1–0 derby victory over Inter Milan on 28 September. His first brace was in a 3–0 win over Sampdoria on 19 October. He scored a 93rd-minute match-winner against Braga in the UEFA Cup group stage on 6 November. Ronaldinho finished the 2008–09 season at Milan with 10 goals from 32 appearances in all competitions. After a good start to the season, Ronaldinho struggled with fitness, and was often played from the bench to end a disappointing first season for Milan. A perceived lack of dedication in training and a lifestyle of late night partying not befitting of an athlete saw him receive criticism, with Carlo Ancelotti, his coach at Milan in his first season in Italy, commenting, "The decline of Ronaldinho hasn't surprised me. His physical condition has always been very precarious. His talent though has never been in question."</s><s>Club career.:AC Milan.:2009–10 season. Ronaldinho's second season did not begin on a high note, but he soon rediscovered his form and was arguably Milan's best player of the season. Newly appointed coach Leonardo changed his role from a central attacking midfielder to the left side

Ronaldinho

of midfield, with Alexandre Pato on the right, in an offensive 4–3–3 formation. On 10 January 2010, Ronaldinho scored two goals against Juventus in an away match, sealing a 3–0 victory for Milan. In the following match, against Siena on 17 January, Ronaldinho scored his first hat-trick for Milan when he converted a penalty kick, scored with a header from a corner and finished with a strike into the top right corner from 20 yards out. The "Estado De São Paulo" newspaper declared, "Ronaldinho revives his golden years." On 16 February, Ronaldinho played against Manchester United in the Champions League. He scored early in the game at the San Siro to give Milan the lead. Milan ended up losing the game 3–2, with a goal from Paul Scholes and two goals from Wayne Rooney. Ronaldinho finished the season as the assists leader of Serie A. On a less positive note, however, he missed three penalties in the domestic season to add to one botched kick the previous season. Ronaldinho ended the Serie A campaign scoring two goals against Juventus; Luca Antonini opened the scoring and Milan went on to win 3–0 in Leonardo's last game in charge.</s>

Ronaldinho

<s>Club career.:AC Milan.:2010–11 season. During the first half of the season, Ronaldinho was part of the team's attack that also included two new signings, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Robinho. Before the winter break, he made 16 appearances, scored one goal, and made several assists.</s><s>Club career.:Flamengo. After being heavily linked with a move back to his childhood club Grêmio, Ronaldinho joined Flamengo on 11 January 2011 with a contract ending in 2014. During the transfer saga, many reports had linked the former World Player of the Year to joining different clubs, such as LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer, Blackburn Rovers of the Premier League, and Brazilian clubs Corinthians and Palmeiras. He was greeted by more than 20,000 fans at his unveiling at his new club on 13 January 2011. Ronaldinho scored his first goal for Flamengo in the 3–2 victory against Boavista on 6 February 2011. On 27 February, he converted a second-half free kick for Flamengo to beat Boavista 1–0 and win his first piece of silverware with the team, the Taça Guanabara. Ronaldinho lifted his first trophy with Flameng

Ronaldinho

o after curling in a right-footed shot over the wall in the 71st minute at Engenhão stadium. The goal gave Flamengo its 19th Taça Guanabara title, which earned the Campeonato Carioca title two months later, as the team also won the Taça Rio. On 27 July 2011, Ronaldinho scored a hat-trick in Flamengo's 5–4 away win against rivals Santos, after being 3–0 down inside the first 30 minutes. On 31 May 2012, after being absent for a few days, he sued Flamengo claiming lack of payment for four months and cancelled his contract with the club.</s><s>Club career.:Atlético Mineiro. Ronaldinho made a move to Atlético Mineiro on 4 June 2012 in a six-month contract, just four days after leaving Flamengo. He wore number 49 in reference to his mother's birth year since his preferred number 10 was already assigned to Guilherme in the 2012 season. Ronaldinho made his debut for Galo on 9 June 2012, playing for 90 minutes in a 1–0 away win against Palmeiras, and scored his first goal for the club on 23 June 2012 against Náutico

Ronaldinho

, from the penalty spot. Ronaldinho led Atlético Mineiro to a good 2012 season, in which the club finished second in the 2012 Brasileirão and qualified for the 2013 Copa Libertadores. Ronaldinho won the Bola de Ouro award, selected as the best player in the league. The following year, Ronaldinho helped Atlético win the Campeonato Mineiro and led the club to its first Copa Libertadores title. Ronaldinho scored four goals and assisted on eight occasions during Atlético's dramatic title run, which included consecutive comebacks from 0–2 first leg defeats in both the semi-finals against Argentine club Newell's Old Boys and the finals against Club Olimpia from Paraguay. Both ties were determined in Atlético's favour after penalty shootouts. Although six years past his best, Ronaldinho's displays saw him voted the 2013 South American Footballer of the Year. At the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup held in Morocco in December, Atlético lost 3–1 to Raja Casablanca in the semi-final, with Ronaldinho scoring from a free-kick. As the final whistle blew, the Raja Casablanca team rushed to their childhood idol and

Ronaldinho

stripped him down to his underpants in search of souvenirs. He renewed his contract with Atlético in January 2014. After winning the 2014 Recopa Sudamericana, Ronaldinho left the club in July, reaching an agreement to cancel his contract by mutual consent.</s><s>Club career.:Querétaro. After becoming a free agent, Ronaldinho was offered contracts from English Conference South club Basingstoke Town and newly formed Indian Super League franchise Chennai Titans through their co-owner Prashant Agarwal, but eventually signed a two-year contract with Mexican club Querétaro on 5 September 2014. Ronaldinho made his debut for Querétaro in a 1–0 loss to Tigres UANL where he missed a penalty kick. In his next match, however, against Guadalajara, he had a much better game, setting up Camilo Sanvezzo to score as well as scoring himself from a penalty kick in a 4–1 win. On 30 October 2014, he scored a free kick against Atlas during an away match at the Estadio Jalisco. On 18 April 2015, Ronaldinho scored twice against Liga MX title-holders América in an away game at the Estadio Azteca,

Ronaldinho

in which his team won 4–0. All of the spectators, mostly consisting of América supporters, gave a standing ovation to Ronaldinho after his goals had brought him to tears. This was the second time in Ronaldinho's career he had received such an ovation from opposing fans (after Madrid fans had applauded his performance in a Barcelona shirt in 2005), and after the match, Ronaldinho stated in an interview, "It is an emotion to live more. I had an ovation at the Bernabéu and now here. I never imagined this. It is something that makes me like Mexico even more and I feel right at home." Ronaldinho scored two penalties in consecutive matches, the second giving Querétaro the classification to the Liga MX playoffs. On 17 May 2015, Querétaro progressed to the semi-finals after defeating Veracruz 4–3 aggregate. In the second match, Ronaldinho scored a free kick with the help of the opponent's goalkeeper who made contact with the ball. Querétaro eventually advanced to the final after beating Pachuca on aggregate 2–2. In the final against Santos Laguna, Querétaro lost the first leg 0–5 and then won the 2nd leg 3–

Ronaldinho

0 but lost 3–5 on aggregate. In June 2015, Ronaldinho, now 35, announced his departure from the club and thanked the Mexican people and fans of Querétaro: "I want to thank all the Mexican nation for all the days that I have lived with people so special, you will be forever in my heart. Thank you very much the Nation Gallos Blancos, which made me very proud to wear this shirt and defend this club."</s><s>Club career.:Fluminense. On 11 July 2015, Ronaldinho announced his return to Brazil and signed an 18-month contract with Fluminense, but on 28 September, Ronaldinho reached a mutual agreement with the club to terminate the deal. He made nine appearances during his two-month stint at the club, failing to impress and being heavily criticized by the fans. Fluminense sporting director Mario Bittencourt stated, "Ronaldinho asked us for a meeting. He respectfully told us he didn't feel he was able to perform as good as he wanted and that it was a bad situation for him. He made a great gesture in saying he wasn't being the player he felt he could be right now. I'll never speak about whether or not he is retiring. That's not something

Ronaldinho

you say about a player of his calibre. He was always spectacular, as player and person."</s><s>Club career.:Futsal in India. In July 2016, Ronaldinho played for the "Goa 5′s", a futsal team from Goa in India, together with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Míchel Salgado, and Hernán Crespo as well as futsal player Falcão in the Premier Futsal League. After two games, he left India to be an ambassador of the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. He was replaced by Cafu. From September to early October 2017, Ronaldinho joined the "Delhi Dragons" from Delhi in the Premier Futsal League. He scored 16 goals in eight games.</s><s>Club career.:Retirement. On 16 January 2018, Ronaldinho confirmed his retirement from football through his brother/agent: "He has stopped, it is ended. Let's do something pretty big and nice after the Russia World Cup, probably in August." Such a celebration was supposed to take place three years after his last appearance for Fluminense, but has not materialized. He retired as one of just eight players to have won the FIFA World Cup

Ronaldinho

, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or. Ronaldinho appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 15 July, performing a few bars of the Russian folk song "Kalinka" (sung by opera singer Aida Garifullina) on an African drum.</s><s>International career.</s><s>International career.:Youth teams. In 1997, Ronaldinho was part of the first Brazilian team to win the FIFA U-17 World Championship, which was held in Egypt, in which his first goal was a penalty against Austria in the first group match, which Brazil won 7–0. Ronaldinho finished with two goals and was awarded the Bronze Ball award as Brazil scored a total of 21 goals while only conceding 2. 1999 was a busy year for Ronaldinho in terms of international play. First he appeared in the South American Youth Championship, where he scored three goals in nine appearances and helped the U20s to reach third place. Then he took part in that year's FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria, scoring his first goal in Brazil's last group match. In the round of 16, he scored two first-half goals in a 4–0 win over Croatia, and finished with three

Ronaldinho

goals as Brazil were eliminated by Uruguay in the quarter-finals.</s><s>International career.:Early success. On 26 June, three days before the start of the 1999 Copa América, he earned his first cap for Brazil in a 3–0 win over Latvia, and he scored one goal during Brazil's victorious Copa América campaign. One week after the conclusion of the Copa América, he was called up for the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which he scored in every match except the final, including a hat-trick in an 8–2 semi-final rout of Saudi Arabia. In the final, Brazil lost 4–3 to Mexico. Ronaldinho won the Golden Ball award for the best player in tournament as well as the Golden Boot award for the tournament top-scorer. In 2000, Ronaldinho participated in the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, with the U23 national team. Earlier that year, Ronaldinho led Brazil to win the Pre-Olympic Tournament, scoring nine goals in seven matches. In the Olympics, however, Brazil were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Cameroon, who later won the gold medal. Ronaldinho appeared four times and scored only one goal, which came in the quarter-final defeat

Ronaldinho

by Cameroon.</s><s>International career.:2002 World Cup glory. Ronaldinho participated in his first World Cup in 2002, as part of a formidable offensive unit with Ronaldo and Rivaldo, dubbed the "Three Rs", who were also on the 1999 Copa América winning squad. The World Cup was held in South Korea and Japan, and Ronaldinho appeared in five matches during the tournament and scored two goals, as well as contributing with three assists. His first goal came in the group stage match against China PR, which Brazil won 4–0. The most memorable match in Ronaldinho's World Cup career took place in the quarter-final against England on 21 June. With Brazil trailing after Michael Owen's 23-minute strike, Ronaldinho turned the game around. Having received the ball inside his own half, Ronaldinho ran at the England defence and wrong footed star defender Ashley Cole with a trademark step over before passing the ball to Rivaldo on the edge of the penalty area to score the equalising goal just before half-time. Then, in the 50th minute, Ronaldinho took a free-kick from 40 yards out which curled into the top left corner of the net, completely surprising England's goalkeeper David Seaman, giving Brazil a 2–1 lead.

Ronaldinho

Seven minutes later, however, he was controversially sent-off for a foul on England's defender Danny Mills. Ronaldinho was suspended for the semi-final, but returned to Brazil's starting lineup for the 2–0 victory over Germany in the final as Brazil won its record fifth World Cup title.</s><s>International career.:2005 Confederations Cup title. Ronaldinho's next international tournament was the 2003 Confederations Cup, in which he went scoreless as Brazil were eliminated in the group stage. The following year, he was dropped from Brazil's 2004 Copa América squad, as coach Carlos Alberto Parreira decided to rest his stars and used a largely reserve squad. After falling short in 1999 and 2003, Ronaldinho was the captain of Brazil and led his team to its second ever Confederations Cup title in 2005. He converted a penalty kick in a 3–2 semi-final win against host Germany and was named Man of the Match in a 4–1 victory over archrival Argentina in the final on 29 June. Ronaldinho scored three goals in the tournament and is tied with Mexican forward Cuauhtémoc Blanco as the tournament's all-time scorer with nine goals.</s><s>International career.:2006 World Cup. For the 2006 World Cup

Ronaldinho

finals, Ronaldinho was part of Brazil's much-publicized "magic quartet" of offensive players alongside Adriano, Ronaldo and Kaká, which was expected to provide the "Joga Bonito" style of play that was the focus of an extensive advertising campaign by Nike leading up to the tournament. However, deemed "top heavy and unbalanced", the team finished with ten goals in five games, with Ronaldinho himself going scoreless and finishing with only one assist (for Gilberto's goal in a 4–1 group stage victory over Japan), as he turned in his worst collective performance in his international career. Brazil endured a disappointing campaign that culminated in a 1–0 loss to France in the quarter-finals, during which the "Seleção" had only one shot on goal. The team was harshly criticized by Brazilian fans and media following their return home. On 3 July, two days after Brazil's elimination, vandals immolated and destroyed a 23-foot (7.5-metre) tall fiberglass and resin statue of Ronaldinho in Chapecó. The statue had been erected in 2004 to celebrate his first FIFA World Player of the Year award. That same day, Ronaldinho, joined by Adriano, returned to the city

Ronaldinho

of Barcelona and held a party at his home, which was continued into the early morning hours at a nightclub. This aggravated the hard feelings of many Brazilian fans, who believed that they were betrayed by the lack of effort from the squad. Displaying a passivity to Brazil's poor showing, the 2006 World Cup is now seen as the turning point in Ronaldinho's career, with his time at the summit of the game almost up. 1970 Brazil World Cup winner Tostão wrote in "O Tempo": "Ronaldinho lacks an important characteristic of Maradona and Pelé — aggression. They transformed themselves in adversity. They became possessed, and furious."</s><s>International career.:2008 Olympic medal. On 24 March 2007, Ronaldinho scored twice in a 4–0 win over Chile, which marked his first goal since the 2005 Confederations Cup final and thus ended a scoreless streak that lasted nearly two years. He was not called up for the 2007 Copa América after asking to be excused from the tournament due to fatigue. On 18 October, he was controversially benched by Barcelona after he was late returning to Spain following Brazil's 5–0 friendly win over Ecuador. He and several Brazil players celebrated the win by partying through the night at a

Ronaldinho

posh Rio de Janeiro nightclub. Ronaldinho left at 11 am the next morning, allegedly in the trunk of a car in order to avoid the media. On 7 July 2008, Ronaldinho was named in Brazil's 2008 Summer Olympics squad as one of the overage players. Barcelona initially blocked the move because of his then-upcoming Champions League commitments with the club, but the decision was later nullified following Ronaldinho's transfer to Milan, who in turn permitted him to make the trip to Beijing, China. Ronaldinho captained the team, and he scored his only two goals in a 5–0 victory over New Zealand before Brazil were beaten by Argentina in the semi-final. Brazil finished with the bronze medal after defeating Belgium 3–0 in the third-place match.</s><s>International career.:2010 and 2014 World Cup absence. Despite having returned to good form and being named as a member of the 30-man provisional squad that was submitted to FIFA on 11 May 2010, he was not named in coach Dunga's final squad of 23 for the Brazilian squad in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup despite his deep desire to participate in the competition. Critics claimed that the exclusion of players such as Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato, Adriano and Ronaldo

Ronaldinho

signaled a move away from the classic Brazilian attacking "Joga Bonito" style of play. At the tournament, Brazil was eliminated by the Netherlands in the quarter-final. In September 2011, Ronaldinho made his return to the national team under coach Mano Menezes in a friendly against Ghana at Fulham's Craven Cottage, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 win for Brazil. He then had solid performances in back to back friendlies against Argentina in the same month. In October, he performed well against Mexico in a friendly, scoring a free kick to equalize after Dani Alves was sent off. Brazil went on to win the match with a goal from Marcelo. Ronaldinho's good form continued in 2013, and in January he was unexpectedly called up by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari for a friendly against England played on 6 February at Wembley Stadium as part of The Football Association (FA)'s 150th anniversary. Ronaldinho started in what was his 100th cap (including non-official matches), and had a chance to score from the penalty kick, but his shot was saved by Joe Hart. Brazil lost the match 1–2. He was again called up for the "Seleção", being named captain of

Ronaldinho

the national team for an international friendly with Chile on 24 April 2013. However, Ronaldinho was not selected for the national team for the 2013 Confederations Cup and he was also omitted from Scolari's 2014 World Cup finals squad.</s><s>Player profile.</s><s>Player profile.:Style of play. Ronaldinho is regarded as one of the greatest and most skilful players of all time. Due to his ability to score and create goals, he was capable of playing in several offensive positions, on either wing or in a free central role. Throughout his career, he was often deployed as a winger, although he usually played as a classic number 10 in an attacking midfielder role. While he is naturally right–footed, during his time at Barcelona, Ronaldinho was also used as an inverted winger on the left flank at times by manager Frank Rijkaard, while the left–footed Messi was deployed on the right; this position allowed him to take on defenders on the outside and cross the ball, or cut inside and shoot on goal with his stronger foot. He was also capable of playing as a second striker. Despite primarily being a creative player, who was renowned for his passing, vision, and playmaking ability, Ronaldinho was an accurate finisher with either foot

Ronaldinho

, both from inside and outside the penalty area, as well as being a free-kick and penalty kick specialist. Although he was primarily known for his ability to bend the ball from set pieces, he was also capable of striking the ball with power underneath the wall, and also occasionally used the "knuckleball" technique, which was popularised by his compatriot Juninho Pernambucano. His versatility and prowess from set pieces made him one of the most prolific free kick takers in history, and also influenced his former teammate Messi, who went on to become a free kick specialist himself. Throughout his career, Ronaldinho was praised by pundits in particular for his technical skills, flair, and creativity, as well as his exceptional first touch. With his pace, acceleration, athleticism, balance, ball control, and dribbling ability, he was capable of beating players when undertaking individual runs, often using an array of tricks and feints to get past opponents in one on one situations, including step overs and nutmegs. Physically strong in possession of the ball, Richard Williams writes "slender in build, the Brazilian has a strength belying the cartoonish smile". He also incorporated flashy moves such as back–heels, bicycle kicks, and no–look

Ronaldinho

passes into his general gameplay. Among his repertoire of moves, is the "elastico", a move he learned by watching videos of one of his idols, the 1970s Brazilian star Rivelino. Ronaldinho came to be known as one of the best exponents of the feint, and in parts of Africa – especially Nigeria – this move is now called 'The Gaúcho' after him, due to his role in popularising the use of this particular skill.</s><s>Player profile.:Reception. ESPN described Ronaldinho as being "skillful by nature, his tricks are unparalleled and he is wonderful with the ball at his feet. One of the coolest players in pressure situations" and a "fast, brash, skilful, tricky, an uninhibited playmaker" who provides "a mix of goals, assists, skills and a large repertoire of crafty moves". Zlatan Ibrahimović stated, "Prime Ronaldinho was phenomenal. He made his opponents look like children". Former Portugal midfield playmaker Rui Costa has said of his vision and passing ability: "There are not many players who can offer goal-scoring passes like he can. He is just marvellous. He is a rare case of an assist man who can

Ronaldinho

provide the ball from anywhere." In 2010, his former Barcelona teammate, Edgar Davids, said of him: "For the skills and tricks, Ronaldinho was the best player that I ever played with." Another one of his former Barcelona teammate, Henrik Larsson, echoed this view. His compatriot Willian rated him as the greatest player of all time in 2019, while Juninho described him as the most skilful player he had ever seen. In 2019, "FourFourTwo" described him as "possibly the best technician in the history of football in Brazil," placing him at number five in their list of "The 101 greatest football players of the last 25 years." In 2006, Richard Williams of "The Guardian" described Ronaldinho as a "genius," while his former Barcelona teammate Sylvinho said of him: "He's so smart, so intelligent, that sometimes it's difficult to read his mind," also adding: "He's amazing. He's 100% talent. And he's a powerful player as well, so it's difficult to stop him." In spite of his performances at his peak, a period of dedication and focus which saw him named the FIFA World Player of the Year twice and receive the Ballon d'Or, Ronaldinho was

Ronaldinho

also criticised on occasion in the media for his lack of discipline in training, as well as his hedonistic lifestyle off the pitch, which some pundits believed had an impact on the overall longevity of his career. Referring to Ronaldinho as "Brazil's childlike genius who never grew up", Tim Vickery writes that it was the sudden death of his father at such a young age that may have seen Ronaldinho stop making the sacrifices needed to remain at the summit of the sport, with the attitude of "life is short and can end unexpectedly–so enjoy it while you can."</s><s>Outside football. Ronaldinho has had endorsements with many companies, including Nike, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, EA Sports and Danone. One of the world's highest paid players, in 2006 he earned over $19 million from endorsements. Having endorsed Pepsi for much of his career and appeared in commercials with David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho signed a deal with Coca-Cola in 2011, however this was terminated in July 2012 after he was caught drinking Pepsi in a news conference. Ronaldinho has featured in EA Sports' "FIFA" video game series, appearing on the cover of "FIFA Football 2004", "FIFA Street", "FIFA

Ronaldinho

06", "FIFA 07", "FIFA Street 3", "FIFA 08" and "FIFA 09". At the beginning of his career Ronaldinho signed a lucrative 10-year deal with sportswear company Nike (wearing Nike Tiempo R10 boots designed for him). He has appeared in Nike commercials, including the 2002 "Secret Tournament" commercial (branded "Scorpion KO") directed by Terry Gilliam. His 2005 Nike advertisement, where he is given a new pair of boots and then proceeds to juggle a football and appears to repeatedly volley it against the crossbar of a goal and recover it without the ball touching the ground, went viral on YouTube, becoming the site's first video to reach one million views. A 2010 Nike commercial, Write the Future directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, features Ronaldinho executing a number of stepovers, which became a viral video re-enacted and shared millions of times. A wax sculpture of Ronaldinho was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong in December 2007. Ronaldinho has had an official role with UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, since February 2006. In 2011, he was recruited by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

Ronaldinho

to promote awareness among young people of the disease and how to avoid it. In March 2015, Ronaldinho was the sixth most popular sportsperson on Facebook, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Beckham, Neymar and Kaká, with 31 million Facebook fans. Ronaldinho also has over 50 million Instagram followers. On 2 February 2017, Barcelona announced that Ronaldinho signed a 10-year deal to become an ambassador for the club at institutional events. On 6 July 2018, Ronaldinho announced a partnership with company World Soccer Coin (WSC) to develop a new cryptocurrency, the Ronaldinho Soccer Coin, with WSC claiming that the profits of the coin will be used to football projects such as "Ronaldinho Digital Stadiums." On 25 October 2020, Ronaldinho announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 and was asymptomatic and self-isolating in Belo Horizonte. A few days later, on 29 October 2020, Ronaldinho released a statement regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Azerbaijan. He expressed solidarity with Azerbaijani people. In late July 2021, he went to Beirut, Lebanon, to lay a wreath in honor of victims of the port explosion. In fiction, Ronaldinho features as a character in Rupert Thomson's 2021

Ronaldinho

novel "Barcelona Dreaming".</s><s>Outside football.:Legal troubles. In July 2019, 57 properties belonging to Ronaldinho along with his Brazilian and Spanish passports were confiscated because of unpaid taxes and fines. The judge ultimately decided to reduce the fine from R$8.5 million to R$6 million for building a fishing platform on Guaíba River in a 'heritage-protected' area. Ronaldinho and his brother would ultimately fail to pay the fines within the allotted time and have their passports suspended. In March 2020, he was questioned by police in Paraguay after he was alleged to have used a fake passport to enter the country while coming for a charity event and book promotion, with Ronaldinho and his brother both being held in custody in the country. While in prison, he competed in a prison futsal tournament, where his team was victorious. They won 11–2 in the finals, with Ronaldinho scoring 5 goals and assisting the other 6. He attempted to appeal the detention order but was ordered to remain under house arrest with his brother. On 24 August 2020, Ronaldinho and his brother were released from Paraguayan prison after their judge agreed to a plea deal with fines of US$90,000 and US$110,000 for the brothers

Ronaldinho

, respectively.</s><s>Career statistics. Ronaldinho made 853 appearances and scored 328 goals for club and country combined, with a goalscoring average of 328/853 round 2.</s><s>Career statistics.:International. Notes</s><s>Honours. Grêmio - Copa Sul: - Campeonato Gaúcho: Barcelona - La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06 - Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006 - UEFA Champions League: 2005–06 Flamengo - Campeonato Carioca: 2011 Atlético Mineiro - Campeonato Mineiro: 2013 - Copa Libertadores: 2013 - Recopa Sudamericana: 2014 Brazil U17 - South American U-17 Championship: 1997 - FIFA U-17 World Championship: 1997 Brazil U23 - CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament: 2000 - Olympic Bronze Medal: 2008 Brazil - Copa América: 1999 - FIFA World Cup: 2002 - FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005 Individual - Campeonato Gaucho top scorer: 1999 - FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 1999 - FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Shoe: 1999 - South American Team of the Year: 1999 - CONME

Ronaldinho

BOL Pre-Olympic Tournament top scorer: 2000 - Bola de Prata: 2000, 2011, 2012 - FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2002 - Ligue 1 Goal of The Year: 2003 - FIFA 100: 2004 - Don Balón Award: 2003–04, 2005–06 - Trofeo EFE: 2003–04 - FIFA World Player of the Year: 2004, 2005 - UEFA Team of the Year: 2004, 2005, 2006 - World Soccer Magazine World Player of The Year: 2004, 2005 - UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2004–05 - FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Ball: 2005 - Ballon d'Or: 2005 - Onze d'Or: 2005 - FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2005, 2006 - FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006, 2007 - UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2005–06 - La Liga top assist provider: 2005–06 - UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2005–06 - FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball: 2006 - FIFA World Player of the Year Bronze award: 2006 - Golden Foot: 2009 - Sports Illustrated Team of the Decade: 2009 - Serie A top assist provider: 2009–10 - Campeonato Brasileiro S

Ronaldinho

érie A Team of the Year: 2011, 2012 - Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Best Fan's Player: 2012 - Campeonato Brasileiro Série A top assist provider: 2012 - Bola de Ouro: 2012 - Copa Libertadores top assist provider: 2012, 2013 - FIFA Club World Cup top scorer: 2013 - South American Footballer of the Year: 2013 - UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year (substitute; published in 2015) - Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame - AC Milan Hall of Fame - Ballon d'Or Dream Team (Silver): 2020 - Globe Soccer Awards Player Career Award: 2021 Other In 2012, two Brazilian entomologists named a new species of bee, from Brazil, "Eulaema quadragintanovem", stating that "the specific epithet honors the Brazilian soccer player Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, famous worldwide as 'Ronaldinho' and in Brazil as 'Ronaldinho Gaúcho'. 'Quadraginta novem' means forty-nine in Latin, the number of Ronaldinho's jersey at Atlético Mineiro, his former team in Brazil. Ronaldinho chose the number 49 as an homage to his mother,

Ronaldinho

born in 1949."</s><s>See also. - List of association football families</s><s>References. - Notes</s>


Prompt: Question: Tell me a bio of Anderson Silva.

Anderson Silva

<s>Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 and ended in 2013 and included a UFC record 16 consecutive victories in that span. UFC president Dana White, UFC commentator Joe Rogan and numerous mixed martial arts (MMA) pundits have named Silva as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. Silva left the UFC in November 2020 and returned to boxing. Silva will be inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame in July 2023.</s><s>Background. Silva was born on 14 April 1975, in São Paulo, Brazil. The son of a poverty-stricken family, he spent the majority of his childhood in Curitiba with his aunt and uncle, who was an officer with the Curitiba police force. Silva's first foray in martial arts began as a child training jiu-jitsu with neighborhood kids. As a teen, Silva began training in taekwondo, capoeira and muay thai.</s><s>Mixed martial arts career.</s><s>Mixed martial arts career.:Early career (19972002). Silva initially

Anderson Silva

fought in Brazil in the welterweight category. Silva made his professional debut in 1997 with a pair of wins. Silva recorded his first loss in 2000 to Luiz Azeredo by decision. After that fight, he went on a nine-fight winning streak, winning six of those fights by either submission or TKO. After winning his first match in Japan, he was put up against Shooto champion Hayato Sakurai on 26 August 2001. Silva beat Sakurai by unanimous decision after three rounds and became the new Shooto Middleweight Champion (at 167 lb) and the first man to defeat Sakurai, who was undefeated in his first 20 fights.</s><s>Mixed martial arts career.:Pride Fighting Championships and Cage Rage (20022006). In 2002, Silva was scheduled to fight then-current UFC Welterweight Champion, and future UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes at UFC 36. However, Silva instead signed a contract and began fighting for PRIDE Fighting Championships. In his first fight with the promotion, he stopped Alex Stiebling with a cut resulting from a high kick. In his next match, he won via decision against the "Diet Butcher" Alexander Otsuka. At "Pride 25", Silva faced former UFC welterweight

Anderson Silva

champion Carlos Newton. Newton tried to shoot in on Silva, but was hit with a flying knee. Newton collapsed and Silva finished the fight with strikes, winning by technical knockout. At "Pride 26", Silva faced Daiju Takase. Takase, with a record of four wins and seven losses, was the underdog. However Silva was dominated on the ground for almost the entire fight before being submitted by Takase when caught in a triangle choke late in the first round. After his loss to Takase, Silva became demotivated and thought about quitting MMA, but was convinced to keep on fighting by Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. Silva then left Chute Boxe, joined Nogueira in Brazilian Top Team and started to fight in other promotions around the world. On 27 June 2004, Silva fought Jeremy Horn and earned a decision victory. Three months later, Silva made his debut in the Cage Rage promotion in England. At "Cage Rage 8" Silva fought and defeated noted striker Lee Murray by decision. That year, Silva returned to Pride FC on 31 December to face Ryo Chonan. Silva was in control with a take down and body triangle in the first round. Chonan was able to counter Silva's knees from the clinch, with

Anderson Silva

knees, and takedowns. Chonan was perceived by some to be winning up until the finish. During the third round, Bas Rutten, commentating alongside Mauro Ranallo, stated that he believed Anderson must obtain a knockout or strong finish or he would lose the fight. Despite being the underdog, Chonan ended the fight in the third round with a rare flying scissor heel hook, forcing Silva to submit. After the loss to Chonan he was cut by Pride, Silva continued fighting in the Cage Rage promotion, as well as other promotions around the world. Silva defended his Cage Rage title against Curtis Stout. Although he was slated to fight Matt Lindland at "Cage Rage 16", Lindland's decision to fight Mike Van Arsdale at "Raze Fight Night" put an end to the highly anticipated match up. Instead, Silva defended his championship against Tony Fryklund, winning the fight with a reverse elbow, knocking out Fryklund early in the first round. Silva competed in Hawaii's Rumble on the Rock promotion, where he fought Yushin Okami in the first round of the 175 lb tournament. Though labeled as a favorite to win the tournament, Silva was eliminated from the tournament when he kicked Okami in the face

Anderson Silva

from the guard position. Okami's knees were on the ground at the time, making the attack an illegal strike to the head of a downed opponent. Silva later said that the rule had not been properly explained to him before the bout. "When I fought Okami the rules really weren't explained to me properly in the event I was fighting in," said Silva. "You could kick a downed opponent to the groin or to the head when your back's on the ground. So the rules weren't explained to me properly." While Okami was given the opportunity to recover and continue fighting, Okami opted for the disqualification win. Silva responded by saying he "felt it was a cheap, cowardly way of winning," and that "people that were there saw that he was in the condition to come back and keep fighting, and he didn't."</s><s>Mixed martial arts career.:Ultimate Fighting Championship (20062020).</s><s>Mixed martial arts career.:Ultimate Fighting Championship (20062020).:Debut and middleweight championship. Although speculation ran rampant about where Silva would sign next, the UFC announced in late April 2006 that they had signed him to a multi-fight contract. It was not long before the UFC started promoting Silva, releasing an interview segment almost immediately

Anderson Silva

after announcing his arrival.{{cite web }} Silva made his debut at "Ultimate Fight Night 5" on 28 June 2006. His opponent was "The Ultimate Fighter 1" contestant Chris Leben who had gone undefeated in the UFC with five consecutive victories. Leben, confident of victory, had predicted he would KO Silva in a pre-fight interview. A relatively unknown fighter in the United States, Silva made an emphatic debut when he knocked out Leben with a flurry of pinpoint strikes, followed by a final knee strike at 49 seconds into the first round. Silva's striking accuracy was 85%. In response to the victory, the UFC tallied a poll on their main page, asking viewers to select Silva's next opponent. The majority of voters selected the UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin. Silva fought Franklin at "UFC 64" on 14 October 2006, and defeated him by TKO (strikes) at 2:59 in the first round. Silva hit Franklin with knees to the body from the Muay Thai-clinch, then badly broke Franklin's nose with a knee to the face. Unable to strike back, Franklin dodged the last of Silva's strikes before falling to the ground, where referee "Big" John McCarthy ended the fight. Silva was crowned the new UFC

Anderson Silva

Middleweight Champion, becoming the second man to defeat Franklin, after Black House-teammate Lyoto Machida.</s><s>Mixed martial arts career.:Ultimate Fighting Championship (20062020).:Record-setting championship reign. On 3 February 2007, at "UFC 67", Silva was scheduled to fight "The Ultimate Fighter 4" winner Travis Lutter in what would be his first title defense since defeating Rich Franklin in October 2006. However, Lutter failed to make the weight limit and the match was changed to a non-title bout. Many felt that Lutter's best chance to win was to take the fight to the ground, with Lutter being an accomplished jiu-jitsu blackbelt. Silva won via submission with a combination of a triangle choke and elbow strikes in the second round. In his next fight at "UFC 73" on 7 July 2007, Silva successfully defended his title against Nate Marquardt, winning by TKO at 4:50 in the first round. Three months later, on 20 October 2007, at "UFC 77", Silva fought a title defense rematch against Rich Franklin, in Franklin's hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, at the U.S. Bank Arena. Silva defended his belt by defeating Franklin via TKO in the 2nd round

Anderson Silva

. On 1 March 2008, at "UFC 82" Silva fought Pride Middleweight champion Dan Henderson, in a title unification bout (UFC and Pride titles on the line). Henderson was believed to have the edge on the ground, having competed in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling. Silva defended his title by defeating Henderson via rear naked choke in the 2nd round. At "" on 19 July 2008, Silva made his debut at Light Heavyweight () in a bout against James Irvin. Silva won via KO due to strikes in 1:01 of the first round after catching Irvin's attempted leg kick with his left arm and delivering a straight right that dropped Irvin to the mat, Silva then finished a prone Irvin with a blitz of punches to the head. Irvin later tested positive for methadone and oxymorphone. Silva's next fight was on 25 October 2008, at "UFC 90" in Rosemont, Illinois, Silva defended his Middleweight title against Patrick Côté. In the third round, Côté landed awkwardly on his right leg while throwing a kick and fell to the mat grasping his right knee in pain. Referee Herb Dean declared the fight over when Côté could not continue, ruling the

Anderson Silva

bout a TKO victory for Silva. Côté, however, became the first of Silva's UFC opponents to make it past the 2nd round. After his fight with Côté, Silva was criticized for seemingly avoiding contact during the bout. Dana White criticized Silva, saying: "I didn't understand Silva's tactics... It wasn't the Anderson Silva I've been watching the last two years." Silva said in the post-fight news conference: "There are many people saying I was disrespecting Côté, but this is absolutely not true. My game plan since the beginning was fight five rounds, inducing him to commit mistakes and capitalize on that during the first three rounds and look for the knockout during the fourth and fifth rounds. It was working, and the biggest proof of that is that I almost didn't waste any blows. I connected with a couple of good punches and knees, but unfortunately he got hurt and the fight was over. This is not my fault." On 18 April 2009, at "UFC 97" in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Silva defeated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt Thales Leites by unanimous decision, and recorded his UFC record 9th consecutive win in the octagon. Leites is credited with being the first

Anderson Silva

man in UFC history to take Silva through 5 rounds to a judges' decision. The crowd repeatedly booed his lackluster performance, bored expression, and frustrated attempts to goad his opponent into fighting, and in the 4th and 5th rounds took to dancing, lowering his guard and slapping his opponent without retaliation. Following the fight, Dana White has stated that he was "embarrassed" by Silva's performance, but still said that he believes him to be "the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world". At "UFC 101" which took place on 8 August 2009, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Silva again fought at 205 pounds against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin. Griffin was knocked down three times in the first round. The bout earned Silva Beatdown of the Year honors from Sherdog. The bout shared those honors with the second bout between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. Both fighters were awarded $60,000 as Fight of the Night bonuses and Silva received $60,000 in bonus money for Knockout of the Night. After defeating Griffin, a Yahoo! Sports reporter allegedly claimed that Silva's manager, Ed Soares, had confirmed that Silva would abandon his Middleweight belt to fight at Light Heavyweight. However, Soares and a UFC

Anderson Silva

spokesperson confirmed that a conversation agreeing Silva would permanently move up to Light Heavyweight never took place. Silva did not relinquish his title to fight exclusively at Light Heavyweight. Soares stated his attorney plans to speak to Yahoo! Sports about the matter. Silva was expected to defend the UFC Middleweight Championship against Vitor Belfort on 2 January 2010, at UFC 108. However, Ed Soares announced that the bout would not take place as Silva would not be fully recovered from surgery. Silva was then set to face Belfort on 6 February 2010, at UFC 109. The fight, however, was dependent on Silva's healing, which he described as "not going as planned." The fight was canceled because of Silva's slow recovery. Silva was once again scheduled to face Belfort on 10 April 2010, at UFC 112. The fight was later canceled again due to an injury to Belfort. Demian Maia was selected to fill the spot and take on Silva for the belt. In the first two rounds fighting Maia, Silva appeared to mock his opponent while employing quick, precise striking. In the third round, however, Silva's tempo seemed to change. He looked to Maia to be the aggressor while he largely circled and taunted his opponent. In the fifth

Anderson Silva

round, Silva's lack of action prompted referee Dan Miragliotta to warn Silva for his conduct. The crowd began to side with Maia, who was the only fighter attempting to engage. After 5 rounds, Silva was declared the winner via unanimous decision. Silva was widely criticized for his performance. Dana White said it was the most embarrassed he had ever been since becoming UFC president. Midway through the fourth round, White walked away from the fight and gave the championship belt to Silva's manager, Ed Soares. White was so annoyed that he declined to personally place the belt around Silva's waist, claiming it was the first time he had done so after a title match. It was also claimed that Silva verbally taunted Maia, saying, "Come on, hit me in the face, playboy." In the immediate post-fight interview, Silva apologized and said that he wasn't himself and that he would need to go back and reevaluate the humility that got him to where he is. In the post-fight interview, Silva made multiple references about how Demian insulted him before the bout. However, the pre-fight banter was seen by many as not out of the ordinary. On 7 August 2010 Silva faced Chael Sonnen for the UFC Middleweight title

Anderson Silva

at UFC 117. In the first round, Sonnen stunned Silva with a punch before taking him down and dominating from the top position, landing multiple blows. The following three rounds played out in a similar fashion, going to the ground early with Sonnen dominating from inside Silva's guard. In the fifth round, Silva slipped after being tagged by Sonnen's left hook and the challenger took advantage by once again establishing a top position and delivering strikes to Silva. With about two minutes left in the round, Silva was able to lock up a triangle armbar on Sonnen, forcing Sonnen to submit at 3:10 of Round 5. In the fight, Sonnen had struck Silva more times than Silva had been hit thus far in his entire UFC career. According to CompuStrike, in his first 11 UFC fights, Silva had been hit 208 times. On 7 August Sonnen had landed a total of 289 strikes. After the bout it was revealed that Sonnen would have won a judges' decision. All three judges had Sonnen marked as the winner of all four rounds, judges Nelson Hamilton and Dan Stell had Sonnen taking Round 1 10–8, as well as Hamilton awarding the challenger another 10–8 total in Round 3. Silva later claimed to have gone

Anderson Silva

into the fight with a cracked rib and that a doctor advised him not to fight. Dana White announced that Sonnen would get a rematch upon Silva's return. Following the fight the California State Athletic Commission confirmed that Chael Sonnen tested positive for synthetic testosterone, with his test having revealed a high testosterone to epitestosterone ratio, indicative of testosterone replacement therapy. The promised rematch was revoked after the issue with his testosterone ratio came to light, however, after Sonnen came back and won two straight fights, Dana White scheduled the rematch. Silva faced Vitor Belfort on 5 February 2011, at UFC 126. Belfort was expected to face Yushin Okami on 13 November 2010, at UFC 122, but was replaced by Nate Marquardt. After a "feeling out" period of about two and a half minutes in the first round, Silva and Belfort started to trade strikes. Silva landed a front kick to Belfort's jaw and followed up with punches to the grounded challenger. Referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the fight at 3:25 into the first round. With the win Silva handed Belfort his first KO loss in 28 career fights and extended his record streak of title defenses to eight. Silva then faced Yushin Okami on 27 August 2011,

Anderson Silva

at UFC 134. He defeated the Japanese middleweight by TKO at 2:04 of round 2, displaying skilled head movement and accurate striking. His record then went to 31–4, avenging his DQ loss to Okami back in 2006. A rematch with Chael Sonnen was to take place on 23 June 2012, at UFC 147, but the bout was moved back to 7 July 2012, at UFC 148, while the expected co-feature of the Brazilian event, a rematch between Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva would headline the event. The change was due to a scheduling conflict with the UN Conference Rio+20, which occurred during the same time frame as UFC 147. At UFC 148, after again being dominated throughout the first round, Silva stopped Sonnen in the second with a TKO. He became the first to stop Stephan Bonnar via strikes in the 1st round of a light heavyweight bout on 13 October 2012, at UFC 153.</s><s>Mixed martial arts career.:Ultimate Fighting Championship (20062020).:Title loss and injury. Despite having decided to retire after the Bonnar fight, Silva faced Chris Weidman on 6 July 2013, at UFC 162. Although he was the heavy favorite, he lost by KO in the

Anderson Silva

second round after show boating, ending his streak of the longest title reign in UFC history. A rematch was held at UFC 168 on 28 December. Weidman dominated the first round; it was reported that Silva may have also cracked his shin bone against Weidman during the first leg check. In the second round Weidman checked one of Silva's leg kicks again, breaking Silva's left fibula and tibia and ending the fight via TKO. Immediately after the fight, Silva had orthopedic surgery to stabilize his tibia with an intramedullary rod; his fibula was reset and was not expected to require further surgery. A UFC statement called the surgery "successful" and said those with similar injuries generally take three to six months to recover.</s><s>Mixed martial arts career.:Ultimate Fighting Championship (20062020).:Post-championship reign. Despite calls for Silva to retire from MMA, it was confirmed on 29 July 2014, that Silva would return to the organization. Before UFC 179, Silva and the UFC agreed on a new, 15-fight contract that replaced their previous deal which had eight fights remaining. On 29 October 2014, it was announced that Silva would coach opposite Maurício Rua for "", which began

Anderson Silva

filming in early 2015. Despite being coaches on the show, the two fighters will not face each other at the end of the season. Silva's continued participation was briefly in doubt during the filming after the announcement of his failed drug test. Initially, Dana White announced that Silva would remain on the show as a coach. Subsequently, Silva was pulled as one of the coaches and was replaced by Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. In his first fight post-injury, Silva faced Nick Diaz in the main event of UFC 183 on 31 January 2015. He won the fight via unanimous decision. In the days after the fight, it was revealed that Silva tested positive for Drostanolone and Androstane, two anabolic steroids, in pre-fight drug screening on 9 January 2015. Nevada State Athletic Commission chairman Francisco Aguilar confirmed that the fight has not yet been overturned and can't be until a motion is passed by a majority of the commission. Any penalties, suspensions or changes to the outcome of the fight have to be presented as a motion and then voted on by the commission to enact the order. On 11 February 2015, it was reported that Silva tested positive for an additional unknown illegal substance in a separate test that was related to UFC 183. On 17 February

Anderson Silva

2015, NSAC executive director Bob Bennett confirmed to ESPN.com that Silva failed his postfight urine test and that Silva had tested positive for the steroid Drostanolone—the same banned substance he tested positive for during an out-of-competition test taken on 9 January 2015. Silva also tested positive for the anti-anxiety medication Oxazepam and Temazepam, which is used to treat sleep deprivation. On 13 August, after several reschedules, the disciplinary hearing was held to decide on the subject. Silva's defense argued that a tainted sexual enhancement drug that a friend had given to Silva after a trip to Thailand was the root of the two failed tests for drostanolone and also appealed to mistakes in the NSAC testing procedures, pointing to a pair of drug tests, one on 19 January and one after the fight, which Silva passed. He admitted to using both benzodiazepines the night prior to the fight as therapy to control stress and help him sleep. Silva's team was unable to explain the presence of androsterone in 9 January test. The commission rejected the defense and suspended him for one year retroactive to the date of the fight, as the current guidelines were not in effect at the time of the failed tests

Anderson Silva

. He was also fined his full win bonus, as well as 30% of his show money, totaling $380,000. His victory was overturned to a no contest. In his first fight after his PED suspension was lifted, Silva faced Michael Bisping on 27 February 2016, at UFC Fight Night 84. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. However, the fight was not without controversy as at the end of round three Silva dropped Bisping with a flying knee while Bisping was signaling to referee Herb Dean that he lost his mouthpiece. Silva believed he had won the bout and continued to celebrate as referee Herb Dean said the fight was not over, and it continued for another two rounds to the decision. Both participants were awarded "Fight of the Night" honours. Silva was expected to face Uriah Hall on 14 May 2016, at UFC 198. However, Silva pulled out of the bout on 10 May after requiring a surgery to remove his gallbladder. As a result, Hall did not compete at the event. Silva was a short notice replacement to face current UFC Light Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in a non-title bout on 9 July 2016, at UFC 200. Silva lost the fight via unanimous decision. Silva faced Derek Brunson on

Anderson Silva

11 February 2017, at UFC 208. He was awarded a unanimous decision victory. 19 of 23 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Brunson. Silva was expected to face Kelvin Gastelum on 3 June 2017, at UFC 212. However, Gastelum was pulled from the match-up after testing positive for marijuana. In turn, despite having two months to secure an opponent, Silva and promotion officials confirmed on 11 May that he would not compete at that event. The bout with Gastelum was rescheduled and was expected to take place on 25 November 2017, at UFC Fight Night 122. However it was announced on 10 November 2017 that Silva would be pulled from the bout due to failing USADA drug test on 26 October. In July 2018, USADA announced that Silva had been exonerated from the failed test after finding contaminated supplements and received a one-year suspension from USADA dating back to November 2017 and would be free to resume fighting in November 2018. Silva returned and faced Israel Adesanya on 10 February 2019, at UFC 234. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the "Fight of the Night" award. Silva faced Jared Cannonier on 11 May 2019 at UFC 237. He lost the fight via TKO in the

Anderson Silva

first round after a kick from Cannonier to Silva's right leg injured him and rendered him unable to continue. Silva faced Uriah Hall on 31 October 2020 at. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round four. In an Instagram post made after the fight, Silva hinted that his career in MMA was finished, though he did not officially announce retirement from the sport. On 19 November 2020, the UFC announced that they had released Silva from his UFC contract, which would allow him to negotiate with other promotions.</s><s>Boxing career.</s><s>Boxing career.:Professional career.</s><s>Boxing career.:Professional career.:Silva vs. Chávez Jr.. In March 2021, it was announced that Anderson Silva would fight Julio César Chávez Jr. in a boxing match on 19 June 2021. Silva won the fight by split decision. Silva threw more punches throughout the fight throwing a total of 392 punches while Chávez Jr only threw 153.</s><s>Boxing career.:Professional career.:Silva vs. Ortiz. Silva faced former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz in a pro boxing bout on September 11, 2021. He won the fight via knockout in round one.</s><s>Boxing career.:Professional career.:Silva vs. Paul

Anderson Silva

. On September 6, 2022, it was announced that Silva would be facing YouTuber and professional boxer Jake Paul on October 29 in Phoenix, Arizona. On the night of the fight, Silva lost to Paul by unanimous decision with the scores of 78–73 (twice) and 77–74, all in Paul's favor.</s><s>Boxing career.:Exhibition bout.</s><s>Boxing career.:Exhibition bout.:Silva vs. Machado. On May 21, 2022, Silva fought an eight round exhibition bout with fellow Brazilian MMA veteran Bruno Machado at a boxing event in Abu Dhabi. Despite a knockdown for Silva in the fifth, the fight would go the full distance, and no winner was declared.</s><s>Fighting style. An expert in Muay Thai, boxing and taekwondo, Silva is primarily a stand-up fighter. Owner of numerous UFC offensive striking records, Silva is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the history of MMA and many consider him the best of all time. During his time in the UFC, he had a striking accuracy of 60%, attempting 1300 strikes and landing 779. Silva's striking accuracy, knockout power, technically vicious Muay Thai and ability to counterstrike makes him a danger to his opponents

Anderson Silva

. Silva's striking uses three major strengths: technical precision, the jab, and transitions and movement. Silva switches from southpaw to orthodox with little drop-off in effectiveness. Although it has been claimed that his ground game is not as good as his stand-up, Silva has submitted notable grapplers, including Olympic wrestler Dan Henderson, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt Travis Lutter and Olympic alternate Chael Sonnen.</s><s>Sponsors. A friend of Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldo, in 2011 Silva became the first client to be marketed by 9INE, a sports marketing company co-owned by Ronaldo. Since August 2011, Anderson has been sponsored by Corinthians, his favorite football club. He is also sponsored by fast food chain Burger King. Previously he had also sponsorship deal with sportswear and equipment supplier Nike, which ended in late 2014 due to Nike's self removal from the UFC.</s><s>Personal life. Silva has three sons and two daughters with his wife, Dayane. Before he began his career as a professional fighter, Silva worked at McDonald's, and also as a file clerk. He considers Spider-Man, Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali and his mother as biggest of his personal heroes, and has a stated love of comic books and comic book heroes

Anderson Silva

. Silva has said on numerous occasions that he believes long-time friend and former UFC Lightweight Champion and UFC Welterweight Champion B.J. Penn to be the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the history of the sport. Silva expressed interest in competing in the sport of taekwondo and boxing. He floated around the idea of competing at the Olympics in taekwondo and fighting Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match.{{cite web Silva became a naturalized U.S. citizen in July 2019.</s><s>Championships and accomplishments.</s><s>Championships and accomplishments.:Mixed martial arts. - Cage Rage Championships - Cage Rage Middleweight Championship (One time, Final) - Three successful title defenses - Shooto - Shooto Middleweight Championship (One time) - Ultimate Fighting Championship - UFC Middleweight Championship (One time) - Ten successful title defenses - Unified the UFC Middleweight and Pride World Welterweight Championships - Fight of the Night (Five times) - Knockout of the Night (Seven times) - Most "Knockout of the Night" awards in UFC history (7) - Submission of the Night (Two times) - Longest title reign in UFC history (2457 days) - Longest win

Anderson Silva

streak in UFC history (16) - Most UFC Middleweight title fights (13) - Most wins in UFC Middleweight title fights (11) - Tied for most knockouts in the UFC Middleweight division history (8) - Most successful title defenses in the UFC middleweight division (10) - Most consecutive title defenses in the UFC middleweight division (10) - Second most consecutive title defenses in UFC history (10) - Most finishes in the UFC Middleweight division history (11) - Most finishes in UFC title fights (9) - Second most knockdowns in UFC history (18) - Most knockdowns in the UFC Middleweight division history (13) - Most knockdowns in UFC title fights (10) - Most knockouts in UFC title fights (7) - Most total fight bonuses in the UFC Middleweight division history (12) - ESPN.com - 2011 Knockout of the Year - Inside MMA - 2011 KO Kick of the Year Bazzie Award - MMA Live - 2010 Fight of the Year - Sherdog - 2009 Beatdown of the Year - 2011 All-Violence 1st Team - Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame - Spike Guys' Choice Awards - 2008 Most Dangerous Man - Sports Illustrated - 2008 Fighter of the Year - World MMA Awards -

Anderson Silva

2008 Fighter of the Year - 2010 Fight of the Year - 2011 Knockout of the Year - Wrestling Observer Newsletter - Most Outstanding Fighter (2012) - MMA Most Valuable Fighter (2012)</s><s>Mixed martial arts record.</s><s>Boxing record.</s><s>Boxing record.:Professional.</s><s>See also. - List of male mixed martial artists</s>