From his early success at Grêmio with disconcerting dribbling of Dunga, the team’s captain, to his peak at Barcelona, when he received a standing ovation from fans of rival Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabéu, to the troubled exits of most of the clubs he defended, the series “Ronaldinho Gaúcho”, which premieres this Thursday (16) on Netflix, portrays some of the most memorable moments of the former star’s successful career on the pitches of Brazil and the Europe.
Under the direction of Uruguayan Luis Ara, who has already directed documentaries about the Brazilian team’s fifth championship campaign and also about the Chapecoense tragedy, the series in three episodes — lasting around 50 minutes each — seeks to bring to younger fans a little of the impact and fascination generated by the football of Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, who hung up his boots more than a decade ago, in a discreet spell at Fluminense.
“With Ronnie [como Ronaldinho Gaúcho acabou se tornando mais conhecido na Europa]besides being better, we were loved”, says Joan Laporta, president of Barcelona, in one of the episodes — with the Catalan club, the Brazilian won the Spanish Championship twice (in the 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons) and the Champions League (2005/06).
According to the director, the series aims to present to the public in a “very honest” way the character who so enchanted fans in stadiums around the world between the end of the 1990s, when he made his debut for the national team against Venezuela, until the beginning of the 2010s, as one of the protagonists in winning the Copa Libertadores with Atlético Mineiro.
“For us, it was very important to tell everything that happened at Atlético, because it was a stage in which everyone thought that Ronaldinho was already finished, with many questions since his return to Brazil. And I think he found in Belo Horizonte a place where he felt very comfortable, receiving a lot of affection from the fans”, said Ara in a video interview with Sheet.
In addition to the enchantment he caused with the ball at his feet, attested by sincere testimonies from names like Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar, the episodes do not shy away from also narrating the controversies outside the four lines, such as his well-known appreciation for nights out and his arrest in Paraguay in 2020 for using false documents. “It was the worst moment. Without a doubt,” Ronaldinho acknowledged during the series.
“There is nothing that is not told, nor is there anything that is told exaggeratedly. We want to show how he played football, the conflicts he had off the field, or what his life is like now. I think the series has a very interesting balance in all these aspects”, said the Uruguayan director.
“The image that viewers will have of Ronaldinho watching the series is the image that has to stay, because that’s what he is,” added Ara. “The public will be able to meet not only the athlete, but the guy behind this magical player that everyone knew.”
Ara also said that it was throughout the series’ production process — which lasted just over a year — that he realized Ronaldinho Gaúcho’s extreme shyness. At least when he doesn’t have a ball at his feet.
“I think I’m shy when there’s a camera or recording. When I have the ball, I forget about the world”, said Ronaldinho in one of the episodes. “I was very happy playing and people say they were very happy to see me play. I just have to thank God.”
In addition to testimonials from Ronaldinho himself and some of his main teammates, the episodes also feature an important participation from Assis, his brother and lifelong businessman.
It is clear throughout the series the extent of the influence exerted by the older brother, from the early death of his father, when Ronaldo was eight years old but was already emerging as a new talent within the ranks of Grêmio, to the decisions to leave some of the clubs for which he shone during his career in an unfriendly manner, such as Grêmio itself, as well as PSG, Barcelona and Flamengo.
“I kill and die for my family. I have always negotiated with one objective: it has to be good for him”, stated Assis in the series.
“I don’t know the details. The one who took care of my career, the business side, was always my brother,” Ronaldinho acknowledged in one episode, when discussing his troubled departure from PSG.
“[Assis] He was the one who gave me the most guidance and it was his guidance that was most successful. So, for me, my brother was the guy who helped me the most”, said the “random roleplay” star.
