Wining a golden ball award is the number one priority for every football player. Of course, we’re talking about private awards here. But just imagine you’re talking to your kids about your football career, and you say that you have one golden ball award.
This means that you were once the best player in the world. But what if they comment something like; “Lionel Messi has 5 golden ball awards.”
You just can’t compete with that. Messi is above everyone when it comes to golden ball awards. But there is one thing that Ronaldinho can brag to his kids and Messi can’t.
He received a standing ovation at Santiago Bernabeu. This is one of the rarest things that could happen in football. A rival club applauding an opposite player that humiliated their whole team.
On top of that, he did it with a smile on his face.
Even without the standing ovation at Bernabeu, Ronaldinho will be remembered as one of the best. But this little detail will make him stand out from the group of the greatest ever.
Real Madrid fans deserve some respect too. They saw something incredible, and they weren’t afraid to appreciate it.
The fact that their team was losing, and Dinho was running the show didn’t changed much.
Ronaldinho talks about the standing ovation
“The derbies are always different particularly in Spain because the whole country grinds to a halt to watch this match. So, the training the previous week was always different and that day was very special to me.
“That match day at the Bernabéu was a beautiful experience. It was a great match, not only from my part but from the whole team. We played really well and I remember the whole match.” – Ronaldinho.
It was a special game for every football fan out there. He won the hearts of one of the toughest fans in football.
At one point, they even booed Cristiano Ronaldo. The player who brought huge success to the club and who is directly responsible for winning many titles was booed on his own stadium.
But we like to think that Ronaldinho was different. He wasn’t arrogant at all. He had that happiness in him that made every football fan enjoy his moves and smile.
“When Ronaldinho scored that goal when he got rid of everyone, even his teammates, I stood there in disbelief, looked to one side and muttered to myself: ‘But, what is happening?’ It was unbelievable.” – Samuel Eto
Having a team of super-stars was pointless because Ronaldinho and Barcelona had the team spirit on their side. They were in it to win. They played football for passion and not just for money.
Barcelona still plays the same way. It’s passion above all, and only talent matters. Looks or other unrelated things to football are not important. If you have the talent, and you’re willing to commit to the team, you’re welcome to Barcelona.
It’s that simple!
