Ronaldinho decided to retire in 2018

The former Barca star will retire from football next year. This was the decision he made at a press conference yesterday, December 5.

Ronaldinho revealed: “I will say goodbye to football next year. Maybe I will play a few farewell matches with the teams I played for in my career. I will think about this soon.”

Ronaldinho won the 2005 Ballon d'Or. Photo: Getty Images.

In addition, the former Barca star also revealed his plans after retirement. “I am looking forward to music projects and football schools. Those are new things that I need to adjust to,” Ronaldinho said.

The 2002 World Cup winner has not played professionally for two years. His last club was Fluminense. However, after playing nine games in two months without making an impression, he was criticized by Fluminense fans.

Despite having 16 months left on his contract with his hometown Brazilian team, the former Barca player decided to meet with the club's management to say goodbye. "Ronaldinho requested the meeting with us. He respected the team when he felt he was not playing as well as expected," said Fluminense sporting director Mario Bittencourt.

During his career, Ronaldinho won every prestigious title at club level. He built his reputation in Barca's shirt and was the brightest star in the journey to help the Catalan team win the Champions League in the 2005/06 season. Returning home after his peak period, Ronaldinho still won the Copa Libertadores with Atletico Mineiro in 2013.

In the Brazilian national team, he won the 2002 World Cup, before that the 1999 Copa America. In terms of personal achievements, Ronaldinho was voted FIFA's best player twice in a row in 2004 and 2005. In addition, he was also the owner of the 2005 Golden Ball award.

According to Zing