A new Netflix documentary series will tell the story of one of the greatest football players of all-time, Ronaldinho.
While the war will rage eternally over whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is the best man to put his boots on a football pitch — for me, it’s quite easily the Argentinian — you’d be hard-pressed to find a more entertaining player in the history of the sport than Ronaldinho Gaúcho.
The Brazilian playmaker’s story is one of great ups and downs, including being part of a 2002 World Cup-winning team, lighting up the Nou Camp in a legendary Barcelona 11, and even spending time in a Paraguayan prison post-retirement. He also played for Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, and Flamengo. His peak may not have lasted for too long, but it was a flame that certainly burned bright.
Dive into the journey of one of the greatest players of all time, with exclusive access, never-before-seen material, and testimonials from icons such as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Roberto Carlos.
RONALDINHO: THE ONE AND ONLY arrives 16 April on Netflix! pic.twitter.com/utDxsAp6Ob
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) April 1, 2026
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, to give him his full name, also has some video game connections, having appeared on the covers of FIFA 2004, 06, 07, 08, and 09. When you take into account his face being on the boxes of the Road to the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Street 1 and 3, as well as the Italian version of FIFA 10, he’s the player to appear on the most EA football game covers.
Titled Ronaldinho: The One and Only and launching on April 16, the three-part series will feature “never-before-seen material” as well as contributions from Messi, Neymar, Roberto Carlos, and many other footballing legends. I just hope they haven’t asked David Seaman for comment on that free-kick in Shizuoka.
It’s one of three Brazilian football-centered documentaries coming to Netflix prior to this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The other two will focus on the triumphant 1994 Brazil Squad, who lifted the trophy last time the competition took place in America, and the Super Copa Pioneer, São Paulo’s most prestigious amateur tournament, where many of South America’s biggest stars have been made. The former arrives on May 7 and the latter on June 8.
If there was any player I wish I could have watched in their prime, it would’ve been Brazil and Barcelona’s number 10 (I’ve been lucky enough to see Messi rip my team apart, and it was equal parts beautiful as it was terrifying). Who do you think the most entertaining footballer of all-time is? Let us know in the comments!
Photo by Simon Bruty /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images.
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.
