It was 2002, and the Samba Boys actually played jogo bonito back then. They had a team which dripped with talent: Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo, Ronaldo...and of course, the twinkle-toed Ronaldinho Gaucho.
India never really forgot its honeymoon with Brazil back then and now, in 2016, they have a chance to rekindle an old romance. Premier Futsal, the five-a-side futsal tournament, will start its first leg on July 15. And at the launch, the organisers ensured they would grab the headlines by announcing that Ronaldinho would take part in the first edition.
The former Barcelona star is 36 now, but that won’t stop Indians from hoping for a glimpse of some of the magic which he dished out on the football field.
A grand arrival
Some of Ronaldinho’s best performances came when he moved to Barcelona in 2003. He made more than 100 appearances for the club, but it was the goal he scored on his debut in the La Liga that made people sit up. Facing Sevilla, Ronaldinho received the ball from the goalkeeper, showed an electric burst of pace after going past two opposition players before scoring from 30 yards out.
Winning over the rivals
Any football fan knows how bitter the relationship between fierce rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid is. Acrimony runs high and tempers are frayed in Spain when the two teams take part in the El Clasico derby.
But Ronaldinho is a rare exception. In one of these derbies in 2005 held at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid’s home stadium, Ronaldinho scored two magical goals to give Barcelona a comfortable victory. But it was what happened next that made it all the more remarkable – the Bernabeu stood up and gave the Brazilian player a standing ovation, a sight rarely seen in football.
Samba dancing at Stamford Bridge
There’s no Samba anymore in Brazilian football anymore anyway. And if you want to remember, here it is. Ronaldinho against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a Champions League encounter. Watch what he does before he scores the goal. And watch. And watch again.
That infamous lob
England fans might want to look away now. Of course, you can blame the English keeper David Seaman for it but it had the Ronaldinho mark on it as well. In the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup, Brazil fell behind against England but recovered through a Rivaldo goal, assisted by Ronaldinho. Then after getting a free-kick from 40 yards out, Ronaldinho scored the most astonishing goal of his career, lobbing Seaman to give Brazil the lead and knock England out.