It’s official: Ronaldinho’s soccer exploits now belong to the ages.
The Brazil and FC Barcelona legend retired from the sport Tuesday, with his announcement prompting an outpouring of praise from all corners of the soccer world. Ronaldinho’s former teams and current and former players used social media to send the 2004 and 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year their thanks and best wishes as his soccer career ends at age 37.
Following his move to Europe from Brazilian club Gremio, Ronaldinho represented Paris Saint-Germain between 2001 and 2003 and FC Barcelona between 2003 and 2008. PSG shared on Twitter some highlights of his stint with the team, while FC Barcelona shared a photo with a simple message.
1⃣7⃣ ans après sa signature au Paris Saint-Germain, @10Ronaldinho annonce la fin de sa carrière de joueur, merci pour ces deux superbes années passées sous nos couleurs #ObrigadoRonnie 🤙🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/IZpaDspoC9
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) January 17, 2018
🤙 @10Ronaldinho.
Camp Nou’s ever-smiling magician.
Thanks for everything! pic.twitter.com/XBm3J2jgzz— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 16, 2018
Ronaldinho scored one of his greatest-ever goals with Chelsea, which relived his 2005 strike against the Blues in the UEFA Champions League.
'A sensational goal whoever you support.'
Best of luck to Ronaldinho in his retirement… pic.twitter.com/LQO3U090lg
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 17, 2018
Current stars Neymar and Paulo Dybala also expressed their gratitude to Ronaldinho.
Gracias por cada sonrisa en cada partido, gracias @10Ronaldinho !
Thank you for each smile, in each match!
Grazie per ogni sorriso, in ogni partita!🤙🏻🤙🏽🤙🏿⚽️#ronaldinho #dinho #farawell #football #futbol #soccer #calcio pic.twitter.com/PEa5CE8McW— Paulo Dybala (@PauDybala_JR) January 17, 2018
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard describes Ronaldinho as otherworldly in his Instagram post.
Even Pele, soccer’s king, took a moment to honor Ronaldinho.
You brought a smile to everyone's face, @10Ronaldinho. I hope you glide through life, like you glided through tackles. // Ronaldinho, você trouxe um sorriso no rosto de todos. Desejo que você consiga driblar todos os desafios da vida, assim como fez nos gramados. pic.twitter.com/Y6RivEvq87
— Pelé (@Pele) January 17, 2018
Game recognize game.
