In a recent episode of the Obi One Podcast, John Mikel Obi had former Brazilian and Real Madrid legend Roberto Carlos as his guest.
They spoke about Barcelona Legend Ronaldinho and why people feel he is underrated in comparison to football stars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and R9.
Ronaldinho made exceptional progress in the world of football to the point of being a Ballon D’or winner and World Cup winner.
And, being a two time Ballon D’or winner, Softfootball earlier reported that Ronaldinho was the one who announced and presented the Ballon D’or award to PSG star, Ousmane Dembélé.
During the conversation which was shared on the podcast’s official X handle, Obi asked Carlos why Ronaldinho is not significantly categorised among the all time greats, despite his great talent. Robert Carlos explained;
Ronaldinho knew his limits, for how long he could play and the highest level. I think that when he’s reached his peak, how can I explain it? He just wanted to have fun, not to be a professional anymore. Now in this moment of happiness and joy, he thought, ‘I’m going to play football, I will see how long I can go on but I will keep having fun’ Because his whole story has been spectacular, I think it was more about the professional side than the mental side and that’s why he lacked a little bit to reach his full potential. He’s considered one of the top players in the world, one of the best but there was a moment when he said ‘I am tired, now I am just going to play football and have a good time’
To further emphasize Ronaldinho’s greatness, the number 10 jersey he wore while at Barcelona has remained iconic and is still being worn by modern football stars like Lionel Messi down to Lamine Yamal.
Obi Mikel proceeded to make a joke by asking if too many parties were the cause of Ronaldinho’s decreased fire but Carlos disagreed, saying,
No, I don’t think so. About that, I think it was more like “I achieved everything with football people are happy with me, now I have to slow down a bit, enjoy a little bit more about life” But not just parties, I think it was more he was tired of making so many people happy and looking forward for to just to keep going, to keep been considered one of the best in the world.
Watch the Podcast below:
Roberto Carlos still acknowledged that Ronaldinho was one of the best players in football history, remembered for his creativity and magic.
