The day Ricardo Rocha gave Ronaldinho Gaúcho no chance

Ronaldinho Gaúcho, one of the best players ever in the history of football, has put an end to his career, at the age of 37, he who has stepped the pitch of the new Estádio da Luz more than once. The most notable match happened in 2005/06, in the Champions League, and the Brazilian lost the duel with Ricardo Rocha.

Sport Lisboa e Benfica and Barcelona locked horns on March 28, 2006 at the new Cathedral. It was the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. At the end, a scoreless draw, in a evening Ronaldinho had "enough on his plate" due to the fierce opposition on the Reds' centre-back – in that match he played as right-back– Ricardo Rocha.

"It was very difficult to mark Ronaldinho – just on the pitch one realizes how hard it is–, but he congratulated me at the end of the match and it is not every day that one is congratulated by Ronaldinho...", said the Portuguese International to the journalists at the time

Almost 12 year later, and on the day Ronaldinho puts an end to his brilliant career, the Official Site remembers ta moment with Ricardo Rocha himself. 

"It was a match that stays forever! At the time he was the best player in the world. We were in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and drew against Barcelona, a team filled with stars, with Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Iniesta, Xavi, Deco… and a player never forgets that", he said.

Did you do a special preparation to "stop" the Best Player in the World?

"I did not do a special preparation. I tried to do my job, and was always very focused, because I knew that it was a player that at any moment could do something special, so I tried to give I'm the minimum space possible, I tried to be always closed to me so that he could feel my presence and so that when he had the ball I could close all the possible spaces and prevent him from making assist - one of his specialties – and prevent him from making those amazing individual plays he so often did. And I succeeded", he remembered.

For Ricardo Rocha this is a match that he will never forget, a compliment that he will save forever, one of those stories to tell to his grandchildren and that will surely travel through generations…

"I will surely remember it forever, due to all the atmosphere of the match, before, during and after the game. Besides, I played in a position I was not used to- as a right-back. I finished the match without making a foul or seeing a single card”, he concluded in exclusive to the Club's Official Site.

In the second leg of the quarter-finals, played at Camp Nou, in Barcelona, on April 5, 2006, the goals of Ronaldinho (18’) and Samuel Eto o (89’) sealed the tie, with Benfica being eliminated from the Old Continent competitions with their head raised, after leaving Manchester United and Liverpool behind. Barcelona would become European champions on that season. 

Ronaldinho’s debut was in 1998 with Grémio de Porto Alegre, and later wore the jerseys of Paris SG, Barcelona, AC Milan, Querétaro, Flamengo, Fluminense and Atlético Mineiro, being, currently, the ambassador of the Catalan.

The former-creative was elected the best player of the world in 2005, winning the Golden Ball. A World Cup (2002), a Copa America (1999), a Champions League (2006), two Spanish Leagues (2005 e 2006) and an Italian Championship (2011) are just some of his achievements.

Text: Sónia Antunes

Pics: SL Benfica