U-17 World Cup opened the door for my professional career, says Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho believes that a good performance in the U17 World Cup can pave the way for a bright career. (Source: Barcelona Twitter)

In less than a month India will be hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Amidst the excitement and fervour, Brazilian legend Ronaldinho, who is the only player to have won the trophy twice, has said that such a tournament will be an important outing for the youngster players as it could be the stepping stone towards greatness and may well pave the way for a bright career.

In an interaction with fifa.com, Ronaldinho recalled the period when he played the tournament almost 20 years ago and said, “The U-17 World Cup is a very special tournament for me. It opened the door for my professional career. I was lucky enough not only to take part in the competition but to win it too. I can honestly say that it opened the door for my professional career.”

“The U-17 World Cup can be crucial as for many players it marks the start of their careers. Young players dream of making it big, and this competition gives them a fantastic opportunity to make that dream come true. It got my career off to a wonderful start and will always be close to my heart,” he added.

Ronaldinho, who is currently in India and playing in the Premier Futsal further added,”The most wonderful moment of the tournament was when we became world champions and I got to lift the trophy. It was something Brazil had never done before and experiencing something like that was wonderful.”

Meanwhile, in the premier futsal tournament in which Ronaldinho is playing for Delhi Dragons, the 37-year-old once again scored a solo goal leaving fans in a frenzy.