Position: Forward
Born: 21.03.80
Club: Barcelona

Perhaps the biggest compliment one can pay Ronaldinho is that he is the brightest star in a squad also featuring the likes of Roberto Carlos, Robinho and Ronaldo.

The toothy phenomenon was deservedly acclaimed as the best player of the last World Cup at the age of just 22 by none other than Pele and has been simply sensational for club and country ever since, deservedly winning FIFA's World Footballer of the Year award in 2004.

He first made his name as a teenager with Gremio but burst to the world's attention during the Copa America in 1999, after which most of Europe's elite pursued him.

French Ligue 1 side Paris St Germain won the battle for his signature, recruiting him on a free transfer as his contract had expired but later being forced to pay £3.6million when a tribunal ruled against them.

After a tricky settling-in period in the French capital, Ronaldinho proved even that price was a snip and PSG eventually received £21million when the midfielder joined Barcelona a year after his heroics in the Far East in 2002.

Sir Alex Ferguson will probably go to his grave regretting the fact that Manchester United missed out on his signing, and his performances in helping Barcelona win the Primera Liga in 2004-05 show why.

A supremely gifted footballer with great control and dribbling skills Ronaldinho is a player with few peers as evidenced by him being named both World and European Football of the Year in December.