What Happened to Ronaldinho? The Joy, the Peak and the Fall

Ronaldinho spent about three years (2004 to 2006) as the best player in the world, then watched his form and fitness fall away at Barcelona. He left for AC Milan in 2008, moved through clubs in Brazil and Mexico, and played his last official match in 2015; his retirement was announced in 2018. Then, in 2026, he signed to play again, for a third-division club in Italy. What follows is the arc in order: the peak, the decline, the clubs after Barcelona, where he is now, and what he is remembered for. If this is the kind of story you came for, Fizbal has a film on the story behind each soccer legend.

How good was Ronaldinho at his peak?

Ronaldinho’s peak ran from about 2004 to 2006, when he was named FIFA World Player of the Year twice (2004 and 2005) and won the Ballon d’Or in 2005; if you watched prime Ronaldinho, you remember why the trophies were only part of it. Those three seasons brought two league titles, both FIFA awards, a Ballon d’Or and a Champions League.

The award that crowned that run, the Ballon d’Or, has a history of its own worth reading. Still, no trophy explains that stretch the way one night in Madrid does.

What was the Bernabeu standing ovation?

The goals came in the 60th and 76th minutes. After the match he said, “it isn’t often opposition fans applaud you,” and added, “For me it was a very emotional moment and I will never forget it.” The Fizbal Short at the top of this page is built on that night. The strange part is how quickly the applause turned into a farewell.

Why did Ronaldinho’s career decline so fast?

Ronaldinho’s form and fitness fell away after the 2006 final, and Barcelona sold him to AC Milan in 2008. Four things happened between 2006 and 2008.

1. In 2007-08 he missed 13 league games to a run of physical problems.
2. In April 2008 a torn thigh muscle in training ended his season.
3. Barcelona’s new coach, Pep Guardiola, deemed him surplus after that dip in form.
4. In July 2008 Barcelona sold him to AC Milan.

What did Ronaldinho do after Barcelona?

After Barcelona came AC Milan, then Flamengo and Atletico Mineiro in Brazil, then Queretaro in Mexico, then Fluminense back in Brazil, where his club career ended in 2015. Between 2008 and 2015 he played for five clubs across Italy, Brazil and Mexico.

Brazil’s coach left him out of the 2010 World Cup squad while he was still at Milan. His brother and agent, Roberto de Assis, announced his retirement on January 16, 2018; his last official match had been in September 2015.

Where is Ronaldinho now?

As of September 26, 2026, Ronaldinho is a player on the books of Ravenna, a club in Italy’s third division, which he signed for in June 2026, at 46. The club presented him to fans on August 20, 2026, but he did not play in Ravenna’s first league match, and no competitive appearance had been reported as of September 26, 2026. Years before the Ravenna contract, on March 6, 2020, he was detained in Asuncion, Paraguay, for entering the country with a falsified passport. After a month in custody he was moved to house arrest at a hotel in April, and, after a plea agreement, released on August 24, 2020.

What is Ronaldinho remembered for?

Ronaldinho is remembered for making the game look like fun at the highest level, which is why his peak is talked about more than his decline. Three things carry the name.

• The moves: the elastico, a flick of the ball outward with the outside of the foot and back inside with the same foot, in one motion, and the no-look pass, played while his eyes pointed somewhere else; he made both famous at the top level.
• The 2005 Ballon d’Or.
• The next Brazilian to star at Barcelona, Neymar, who played there from 2013 to 2017 and has his own story told in what happened to Neymar.

A three-year peak should not loom this large, yet it does.

Is Ronaldinho retired?

Did Ronaldinho win a World Cup?

The full tournament record lives on the page for World Cup history and winners.