All hail the last magician: My sportsperson of the year - Ronaldinho
The opening spell has produced five goals, one penalty and a moment of wizardry.
The half-time whistle sounds and Ronaldinho, the scorer of a spot kick, and creator of that magical, physics defying goal past Petr Cech, finds his path to the dressing-room blocked by the hulking Paulo Ferreira. The Chelsea defender who conceded the penalty is determined to confront his opponent.
The Brazilian, and the burly stewards, braced for an onslaught.
But within seconds the tenseness of the situation had evaporated into the air. Ron Ron’s face was engulfed by that toothy trademark grin. Ferreira, too was smiling as they went their separate ways.
The Chelsea man strolled down the tunnel with Ronaldinho’s jersey carefully bundled against his chest while his counterpart, now down his vest, shivered in the cold spring night.
But the smile was still as large as ever.
That evening is a perfect encapsulation of Ronaldinho - the footballer and the man.
That second goal was simply incredible - first came the shimmy, and then without any apparent back lift he launched an effort from 20 yards which spun beyond a motionless Cech.
But as important was Ferriera’s request - and the unselfish response. That little moment gives us something to treasure in a time when the Corinthian ideals of sport are in threat of extinction in the professional world.
So Ronaldinho’s on-field talents are unquestionably without equal on the planet. Since we neither have the time or space, please feel free to insert your own memory of the man’s greatest efforts here. Take a minute to cherish it and move on at your ease.
Such individuality is something which is being strangled out of soccer - and many more field sports in the era of strategies, play books and paralysis by analysis. How many youngsters - whether it be hurling or basketball - are suffering as a result of this campaign to squeeze natural talent into rigid and set structures. Maybe more parents and coaches should allow kids to nurture their abilities in a more carefree way.
“I loved dribbling. I loved to play in the living room, round the furniture or in the garden with my dog,” he said of his youth.
“That was always what I loved doing the most.”
Then there is the video which is rivalling that Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee effort in the download stakes. In an ad for Nike, yours to see at nikefootball.nike.com, Ronaldinho, wearing a pair of the company’s newest boots, is filmed doing some nifty keep uppetty.
Then comes the magic. From just outside the area, he volleys the ball against the crossbar before controlling the rebound on his chest. And then repeats the exercise. Four times.
When contacted before Christmas, Nike refused to confirm or deny to the Irish Examiner whether computer effects were used. They did say however that: “if any one player on the planet could do it, then it would be Ronaldinho.”
And they are right. Had it been anyone else we would have instantly dismissed it as visual effects trickery. But because of who it is, maybe, just maybe, it might be real.
SINCE that night at Stamford Bridge he picked up his second successive World Player of the Year award from FIFA, the inaugural FIFPro World Player of the Year award, selected by his fellow players, in September and France Football’s prestigious Golden Ball as the best footballer in Europe.
But it how he achieves such accolades which sets him apart.
He doesn’t need a global marketing campaign to inflate his self worth. He doesn’t wish to live his life in the realms of faux celebrity. He simply wants to play the game. Whether in service of Barcelona or Brazil, he brings all the freedom of a playground kick-around to the biggest stadiums in the world.
And the childlike wonder of his work seems to show little sign of diminishing. He is the George Best of the 21st century, bringing much needed beauty back to the beautiful game.
And like Best, his off-field modesty is unequalled in a sport gobbling itself with commercial greed, and all it’s bling laden, humvee driving, trophy wife in the mock tudor house trappings.
“I’m a nice ugly guy who in the end turns out handsome,” he remarked on a tour to Mexico last year. And last month he told the FIFA goal hosted at a lakeside opera house in snowy Zurich: “I would like to say to all my team-mates and the national team that without them I would not be here. I would like to say thank you to God for giving me help and bringing me into football. I hope to make people happy with what I do and that I will be here once again in the years to come.”
Take his contemporaries. Wayne Rooney is certainly an outrageous talent but his abilities are marred by petulance and a raging temper. Thierry Henry too is phenom but one wonders about his temperament on the biggest stages while the likes of Shevshenko are out-and-out goal machines, a kind of IKEA version of Ronaldhino - achieving the same results without the blue chip core quality.
The fact that he picked up 956 points to comfortably beat Chelsea’s midfielder Frank Lampard (306) in the FIFA vote by national coaches and captains around the world is ringing endorsements of his ability, and indeed his humility.
Don’t take my word for it. Earlier in the year, French legend Jean-Pierre Papin remarked: “Ronaldinho is the last magician. He’s a genius with the ball at his feet. But he is also humble. What he enjoys most is playing for himself, and for the fans in the stands. He’s a joy to watch. I would have loved to have had him as a teammate just for his sense of being able to come up with that final pass.”
Michel Platini was of a similar opinion.
“Not only is he individually brilliant, he’s an altruist. He knows how to give a good pass. It’s not just about the dribbling. I’ve seen players who know how to dribble and juggle with the ball, and don’t know how to give a good pass. They are only good for the circus. Ronaldinho is great for football. Ronaldinho just makes the game so beautiful. He makes everyone happy, and his smile when he’s playing says it all.”
Even fans of Barca’s hated rivals Real Madrid would agree. In a 3-0 victory over Real last month, Ronaldinho scored two solo goals in a display which brought the applauding Bernabeu crowd to their feet in admiration.
The last man to know such a feeling was a little Argentine superstar.
His name? Diego Maradona.
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