Owning a unique smile, magical dribbling, and exquisite shooting, Ronaldinho began to showcase these traits with the Brazil national team exactly 25 years ago. His official debut was on June 30, 1999, in the Copa América held in Paraguay, which was won by the Seleção.
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In the first match of Group B, the team then managed by Wanderley Luxemburgo thrashed Venezuela 7-0. In the 72nd minute, wearing the number 21, Ronaldinho entered the field in place of Alex and quickly demonstrated his skills.
Three minutes after entering, the midfielder received the ball at the edge of the opposing area, executed a lofted flick to evade the first opponent, a backheel to dribble past the second, and with his right foot, he struck a shot that entered the goal guarded by goalkeeper Renny Vega. He celebrated his first goal with the Verdeamarelha with two jumps and a raised fist.
When Ronaldinho scored this great goal against Venezuela, 1999. pic.twitter.com/GbRvbZClhG
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) June 13, 2024
His call-up for that Copa América came at the last minute, replacing Edilson, who was dropped after causing a controversy during the Campeonato Paulista final days before. The Corinthians striker decided to juggle the ball, angering the Palmeiras players and leading to a fight on the pitch.
Indeed, this led Luxemburgo to call up Ronaldinho, then a 19-year-old playing for Grêmio. The midfielder won that Copa América, was the top scorer that year in the Confederations Cup, and in 2002, was a crucial part of the team that won the World Cup.
