In 2003, Ronaldinho moved to Barcelona. Barca was initially trying to sign David Beckham but when Beckham moved to Real Madrid, Barca's president, Joan Laporta, outbid Manchester United and brought Ronaldinho in.
Ronaldinho suffered from various injuries during his first half year at Barcelona. When Ronaldinho returned, he helped Barca to the second place in the Primera Division. Ronaldinho won his first league title at Barca during the season of 2004-2005. He was also named FIFA World Player of the Year in December 2004 and he was chosen for the UEFA Team of the Year.
Ronaldinho became a father on 25 February 2005. The mother of his son is the Brazilian dancer Janaína Mendes. Their son is named João after Ronaldinho father.
In 2005, Ronaldinho was chosen over Frank Lampard and Samuel Eto'o for another title of FIFA World Player of the Year. He also received a place in the UEFA Team of the Year for the second consecutive time. To honor Ronaldinho, he got a 23-foot tall statue in Chapecá, Brazil. Later that year, Barca was eliminated in the Champions League by Chelsea in the first knockout round after a 4-2 loss. Ronaldinho scored both goals for Barcelona.
Brazil won another Confederations Cup in which Ronaldinho played as Brazil's captain. Ronaldinho was named Man of the Match in a 4-1 victory over Argentina. Since that tournament, he shares the title of all-time scorer in the Confederations Cup with Cuauht'moc Blanco of Mexico. Both scored 9 goals.
Barca offered to extend Ronaldinho's contract until 2014. This deal would earn him €85 million in 9 years but Ronaldinho turned this deal down. In September 2005, he agreed on a 2-year extension with a minimum-fee release clause of €85 million.
After scoring two of the three goals in El Clásico in 2005 against Real Madrid, Ronaldinho received a standing ovation from both Barca's and Real's fans.
In 2006, Ronaldinho was chosen for the UEFA Team of the Year for the third consecutive time. In the same season, he contributed to defeating Benfica and AC Milan in the Champions League Quarter Final and Semi Final. On 17 May 2006, Barcelona defeated Arsenal with a 2-1 win in the Champions League Final. Barca also won their second consecutive title. Ronaldinho scored 26 goals in all competitions during the season of 2005-2006. He was also named Champions League Player of the Year.
Ronaldinho, Kaká, Ronaldo and Adriano formed the most feared attack at the 2006 World Cup. In the end, they were very disappointing. They only scored 5 goals, Ronaldinho only gave 1 assist. Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinal against France after a 1-0 loss
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