Ronaldinho and Rivaldo made the world fall in love with Barcelona
In the history of the Blaugranas there are more than thirty Brazilians. Some have had bad luck – in the past century it was not uncommon for players to arrive from overseas whose class did not allow them to consolidate permanently. In the seventies there was an unsuccessful search for a “new Pele”. It was only in the nineties that Barcelona realized that their philosophy coincided with that of the Celesas.
They are constantly looking for newcomers from Brazil, but the most recent attempts have been unsuccessful. Coutinho, Malcom or Arthur did not bring trophies, did not become one with the legends of the happy past. But the emergence of the edgy Rafinha – the Brazilian was signed from Leeds for a solid 58 million euros plus 9 million in bonuses – reminds us of those primarily associated with the Brazilian vector.
Like Real Madrid, Barcelona will never turn its back on trying to find a talented new player from the celesao, reinforcing its usually stellar squad. Adriano, Maxwell, Silvigno, Belletti, Edmilson and Sonny Anderson have played many games, but they are not the main ones. Let’s take a look back at the best, because it’s a nice thing to do.
Evaristo
A Brazilian who is often forgotten when recalling the great celesao players at Barcelona, but that’s understandable. Grandfather is now 89 years old, he moved from Flamengo to Spain in the fifties. Became one of the best snipers in history – 105 goals, but went on to betray him when he chose Real Madrid as his next club. Things did not work out for him in Madrid. Also Evaristo was unlucky with the generation in the national team – Pele was already growing up and other legends did not let him in the base at the successful World Cups. But this is the hero of Barcelona, the champion of Spain.
Romario
He considers himself the greatest, and is definitely a great player because he got to the top that thirty-year-old Neymar only dreams of – he helped Brazil regain the world crown after 24 years of offensive misfires of the Socrates generation. Romário played coolly for PSV, as did Ronaldo. Then the forward ended up at Barcelona, where he also showed his best qualities – 39 goals and 11 assists in 65 games. But Babe’s character was not sugar-coated. Not surprisingly, he did not stay with the team long, and at the end of his career Rimario went into politics. Now he is a Brazilian federal senator from the state of Rio de Janeiro. We don’t know if he helps people and how good he is at his new profession. But he played soccer incredibly, technically it’s an impeccable master.
Ronaldo
A fabulous soccer player, as long as his knees were intact and the middlemen didn’t fool his head by suggesting he choose money first and then think about his career. It’s still a mystery why Ronaldo played so lackluster in the Champions League-Holand broke his career goals record long ago-but when we talk about the season at Barcelona, we’re dealing with 47 goals in 49 games. This is definitely one of the strongest seasons by a young player in soccer history, which Ronaldo finished with the winning goal from the penalty spot in the Cup Final. Beating PSG when it wasn’t fashionable yet.
Neymar
Beautiful player, won a lot with Barcelona – nine meaningful trophies, including the Champions League in 2015. The trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar was directly involved in that triumph. The young Brazilian played 186 matches for the Catalan club, scoring 105 goals and giving 76 assists, phenomenal statistics. But at the same time on his account 43 yellow cards, a lot of scandals, and he left and moved to PSG as a result of dubious deals. Neymar’s father caught Barcelona’s management – they wrote a compensation payment of 222 million euros into his contract, and the sheikhs paid it. Neymar later realized his mistake, but the road back is closed by the debts of “blaugranas”.
Rivaldo
Deportivo did not want to let go of Rivaldo, with whom they felt comfortable in attack – Rivaldo scored 21 goals for his first Spanish club in the Primera, but Barcelona understood that they also needed a prolific second striker. Rivaldo, like Romario, is a man with a difficult character, and it is not just about van Gaal’s ability to find enemies in the team, so his career at Barcelona has had different stretches. But we are talking about the winner of the Ballon d’Or, the two-time champion of Spain, and only in European competitions Rivaldo and the Blaugranas on the border of the century were not lucky. Or rather, they lost badly, but they made up for it with the Brazilian’s bisiccles in the Primera. 130 goals and 44 assists in 235 games make Vitor Borba Ferreira a legend at the Catalan club.
Dani Alves
Laporta was unkind to the veteran. Since it was thought that it would not be possible to offer Dani a contract in the new season, it was not worth bringing back a legend, not to be included in the bid for the Europa League playoffs and leave without a club at the age of 39. Now Tite is desperately looking for a team where Neymar’s personal trainer can maintain his form before the 2022 World Cup. In the national team, the cranky leader only listens to the advice of the lateral, and for good reason. Perhaps Dani Alves is one of the reasons why Messi has established himself as a soccer legend in the first place – the ideal partner for the Argentine on the right. Also, the Brazilian’s actions on the flank were ahead of their time, as many laterals now play so high, boldly, with shifts to the midfield. Alves is also the most decorated player in history with over 40 trophies.
Ronaldinho
The sunshine of Barcelona, the best Brazilian in the history of the club. Ronaldo’s history at Catalunya was too short to call him the top Brazilian at the club. Rivaldo is fabulous, but not that fabulous. And Romário and Neymar are cool, but definitely inferior to Ronaldinho in their impact on the world of soccer. Of course, and the resilient Dani Alves will step aside. Dino was a phenomenon. The attacking midfielder received the Ballon d’Or for playing in the blue-grenadine colors, did unreal things, and did it with ease and grace. With the statistics, too, full order, because in 207 games he scored 94 goals and created another 70 assists. The man who interrupted Barcelona’s long losing streak in the Champions League. The guy who led Messi onto the field and then retreated, as Guardiola correctly assessed Ronaldinho’s attitude to training.
In Catalonia, the player loved the fun life and vibrant soccer equally. Of course, could play at a high level for longer, but we are talking about a brilliant master, so it is not surprising that he ended up in jail, and was not distinguished by diligence. It is a bit of a pity that he did not work with Guardiola – I wonder how Josep would have directed the whirlwind of Ronaldinho’s creativity, but in the hearts of Barcelona fans there is a special place for Gauscho. It is so coincidental that all these Brazilians were saying goodbye to Barcelona, not without offense and incomprehension, but before that they were giving a holiday that is impossible to forget.
Fizzslots NEWS
