Brazillian football legend Ronaldinho is the latest luminary to receive the UAE’s golden visa, a 10 year visa that is bestowed on the top talent the world has to offer that has a special relationship to the UAE.
Winning the 2002 World Cup playing for Brazil and two time FIFA World Player of the Year certainly qualifies the footballer, real name Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, as proof of extraordinary talent.
Granted by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigner Affairs (GDRFA) this past Tuesday, Ronaldinho joins fellow Brazilian hero Bebeto, Juventus football megastar Cristiano Ronaldo, Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, and former Barcelona teammate Samuel Eto’o who have also received the highly exclusive visa.
Growing up playing beach soccer and futsal in Porto Alegre which landed him at the club Gremio in Brazil, Ronaldinho was then scouted by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and spent 2 seasons there before being bought by Barcelona in 2003 €30 million.
It was at this club that he was considered to be in his prime as over the next 5 years, he managed to score 70 goals in 145 appearances. His performances helped Barcelona win the 2006 Champions League trophy as well as the prestigious Ballon D’or for himself in 2005. He usually played as an attacking midfielder or winger due to his ability to score and create opportunities for his teammates.
After leaving La Liga, his next 3 seasons were spent playing in Italy for AC Milan before eventually returning home to South America to play for various Brazilian and Mexican clubs. Ronaldinho had scored 266 goals from almost 700 club appearances throughout his career before before retiring in 2018.
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