Ronaldinho's Insane Skill Show At Barcelona Presentation Is Still A Joy To Watch

On this day 19 years ago, Barcelona signed Ronaldinho in a £21 million deal from Paris Saint-Germain.

The new marquee signing was presented in front of the club's supporters at the Nou Camp and was required to show off his best skills for those in attendance.

Over the years, plenty of players have buckled under the pressure of this scenario. For Barca, Martin Braithwaite, Paulinho, Ousmane Dembele and Sergino Dest all embarrassed themselves.

But Ronaldinho, typically laid-back and without a care in the world, did not disappoint.

Never has anyone looked so comfortable with a football than Ronaldinho as he effortlessly kept the ball up with his feet, knees and head.

Image: Alamy

He performed the "all around the world" maneuver like it was the easiest thing ever, then stepped it up by balancing the ball on his head, neck and even on his face - pretty much snogging the ball at one stage.

To finish off, R10 booted the ball into the stands and headed back down the tunnel after dropping a masterclass that a professional football freestyler would have been proud of.

Ronaldinho made his competitive Barca debut away against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames in a 1-0 win achieved courtesy of a goal from Phillip Cocu.

But his first outing on home soil, where Sevilla were the visitors was a memorable occasion. Because of scheduling issues, the 1-1 draw took place at 12:05am on 3 September and Barcelona handed out 25,000 free bags of Doritos with salsa dip, 30,000 Actimel yogurts, 100,000 KitKats and chorizo for the 80,000 fans who turned out.

And Ronaldinho opened his account in stunning fashion with one of his best ever goals for the club.

He glided past two players and smashed in a 30-yard worldie that cannoned in off the crossbar.

Undoubtedly football's greatest ever entertainer, Ronaldinho scored 94 goals in 207 games for Barca and won two La Liga titles.

He also collected the 2005 Ballon d'Or award for a slew of scintillating performances.

Topics: Barcelona, Ronaldinho, La Liga

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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