India is hosting the 17th edition of the Fifa U-17 World Cup and legendary Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho says that the tournament can be crucial for many young players. He feels the tournament gave him a “wonderful start” to his glittering career two decades ago, PTI reported.

The former Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and AC Milan forward was a part of Brazil’s first U-17 World Cup winning team 20 years ago in Egypt. He is the only player to have won both U-17 World Cup (1997) and Fifa World Cup (2002) titles. A total of 12 players who have played in the U-17 World Cup gone on to represent their countries in World Cups.

“The U-17 World Cup is a very special tournament for me. It opened the door for my professional career. I was lucky enough not only to take part in the competition but to win it too. I can honestly say that it opened the door for my professional career,” Ronaldinho said.

“The U-17 World Cup can be crucial as for many players it marks the start of their careers. Young players dream of making it big, and this competition gives them a fantastic opportunity to make that dream come true. It got my career off to a wonderful start and will always be close to my heart.”

Ronaldinho is currently playing in the Premier Futsal tournament in India, playing for the Delhi Dragons, taking on fellow ex-pros Ryan Giggs, Deco, Paul Scholes, Michel Salgado and Hernan Crespo.

“The most wonderful moment of the tournament was when we became world champions and I got to lift the trophy. It was something Brazil had never done before and experiencing something like that was wonderful,” the two-time Ballon d’Or winner said, recalling his win from two decades.

Ronaldinho, now 37, has played for seleccao 97 times and has 33 international goals to his name.