Earlier Life of Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho was born in the city of Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul.  His mother, Dona Miguelina Eloi Assis dos Santos (daughter of Enviro Assis), is a former salesperson who studied to become a nurse.  His father, Joao de Assis Moreira, was a shipyard worker and footballer for local club Esporte Clube Cruzeiro (not to be confused with Cruzeiro).  He suffered a fata heart attack in the family swimming pool when Ronaldinho was eight.  After Ronaldinho’s older brother, Robert, signed with Gremio, the family moved to a home in the more affluent Guaruja section of Porto Alegre, which was a gift from Gremio to convince Roberto to stay at the club.  Roberto’s career was ultimately cut short by injury.

Ronaldinho’s football skills began to blossom at the age of 8, and he was first given the nickname Ronaldinho because he was often the youngest and the smallest player in the youth club matches.  He developed an interest in futsal and beach football, which later expanded to organized football.  His first brush with the media came at the age of thirteen, 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 Champsionship in Egypt, in which he scored two goals on penalty kick.