The main reason I started this blog back in March was to teach others how to play football like Ronaldinho. This meant I would have to create some sort of guide to help footballers visiting this website understand the various secrets and techniques that Ronnie has in his repertoire. I’ve done this with the Be Like Ronaldinho Book and I must say I’m glad with what has been produced, however, it brings me to point of asking, is imitating someone really the best way to go if you want to be a great player?

At First Yes, Later On No

Yes because, by imitation you learn a wonderful technique that has taken this footballer 10+ years to learn. Later on, when you’ve mastered this technique imitation becomes something that you cannot go back to, because as a footballer it is your duty to come up with new and exciting plays, without having to borrow off other players. This is what can make you a truly great footballer, the idea of individuality. Personally, I love to please a crowd of fans because they’ve come to watch a great game of football being played out and if I can show them skills that have taken me countless hours to perfect that’s great, but when I show them something they haven’t seen before, at any level, then that’s something special I have and you can too.

Ronaldinho vs Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Both are my favourite players and both do the Elastico as one of their trademark moves. Now, both have varied styles of executing this technique and both ways I have seen are rather effective. At one stage or another, both had to imitate this move to get it right, but then after mastering the technique, they added their own little touch to it. Zlatan like to run along the sideline when doing this whereas Ronaldinho likes to pull this move off near the corners and the goal line, with near stationary position. Like I said before if it works for them and it will work for you also. If you imitate, then put your own spin on it, the crowd will love you for it because they’re seeing something new. But nothing beats a technique you’ve come up with all by yourself, but I’ll leave that one for another time. For now, here’s a video of Zlatan and Ronaldinho, showcasing their differences and similarities.

Many don’t talk about the mental aspect of football. The fact is that having the right mindset and attitude towards a game can make or break your performance out on that field. Has someone already told you this? or have you found out the hard way? Personally, my biggest challenge when I play a game of football is getting into the right mind set, so that when I get out onto that field I can confront anything that comes my way without second guessing myself, and the sheer nature of the league I play in doesn’t let me do this. That is why I do my best to walk out onto that field relaxed and ready to play my game.

You Talked About Being Relaxed?

You can’t start playing football when your mind is going a hundred miles an hour, it just doesn’t work out in the end for you. When you receive that ball from a team mate, are you going to know what you are to do with it? Or has your mind been distracted from an event that has taken place before the game. This can be something as small as seeing a beautiful girl on the sideline. When you come to play your game, all your focus needs to be on the game and you need to be relaxed towards what you need to be doing. Now don’t think I’m saying be physically relaxed because that will encourage laziness on the field, but be relaxed in the mind so that you can take each situation the ball comes to you as different and that way you can respond well to each occasion.

Be Confident In Your Abilities

If you are in a team, then you aren’t there by chance. The manager has seen you play and has put you into the team, so don’t ever question your abilities as a football player. If you’re like me and you train, trying to better your ball control or your left foot, you still need to be confident in what you do, because if that ball comes down onto your left foot, you gotta be able to cross that ball in or switch it to the other side. Confidence is one of those things that tend to multiply your feelings and emotions, because when you pull something off because you were confident enough to try it, you will be encouraged to do well and keep going. So next time you are about to play any game of football, keep these things in mind and you will most probably come out having a great game.

Aggressive football is something that I often don’t like seeing on the field, but what many don’t understand is that as you progress your way to different levels of football, one thing will increase with it, being aggressive. It’s like an untold rule that once you hit the more demanding levels of football, you will find that bodies will collide as frequently as watching a game in the NFL. For the creative, flamboyant player like Ronaldinho, yourself and I, it would be something that we are not used to and prefer a non-contact and pretty game of football.

What To Do Then?

Learn to be aggressive. This applies to you defenders as well as attackers. When the level of intensity goes up, so does the need to fuel your aggressive side, the side that is always hungry for the ball. When I say be aggressive, I mean for example, when you and another player come to a 50-50 situation where only the hard work and strength of one will prevail over the other, then you will have possession and you are able to lay off the ball to a stationary player. Sometimes you just wont have a choice, you will need to commit to a challenge for the ball and you will have to use your sheer strength to topple another player using your shoulder. Other times you will need to use your body to block off the ball from the incoming challenger and it is here that you wit and strength will be tested. You would probably need to read my post about going to the gym while playing football, as it addresses the various questions associated with strength.

Please Don’t Go Too Far 

Remember you are playing football, not anything else, so that means you need to be within reason for your physical challenges. You can always be tough but fair when you play football and the referee will never blow that whistle against you if follow this ideal.

It goes without saying that doing tricks and fancy moves makes the game of football a much more exciting game to watch. Let’s face it, Ronaldinho would not be the best in the world if we saw him playing the style of football the English play. If you don’t know what I mean, it’s something along the lines of long balls sent all the way to the attackers who run with the ball using pure strength and speed to get past the opposition, which compared to the other leagues, lacks technical ability. Now, it’s the techniques that Ronaldinho knows and practices that make him a great player. What’s more, he knows when it’s the right time to use these different tricks and techniques during a game. How is this? Because he tries these moves whenever he can, however, understands the importance of being in the right place at the right time.

Time And Place Is Important

I’m going to use scenarios now to get you thinking about when you would execute the technique you want to do, and seeing as how this is a blog dedicated to Ronaldinho, lets go with the classic Elastico. But before I list the scenarios, here is a quick look at the Elastico for those who don’t know what I’m talking about.

So now that you see what I’m talking about and what the technique entails, I want you to figure out which ones seem to be the better situations to try the Elastico or any other technique for that matter. Remember we are talking about the situation for the team, not field position and how many people you’ve come up against on the field. So, here they are:

1. Scoreline: You are winning 1-0
Time: 79th minute
Story: The opposition is fighting to draw up the game. Your team is struggling to land that final blow to secure the win.

2. Scoreline: You are losing 1-0
Time: 33rd minute
Story: The opposition is defending everything you throw at them. Your team needs something to happen.

3. Scoreline: You are winning 3-0
Time: 69th minute
Story: The game is in the bag and right now you are playing a relaxed game.

4. Scoreline: You are losing 3-0
Time: 44th minute
Story: The opposition have thumped three goals past your team before the half time whistle has gone

Which One(s) Did You Choose?

If you went with 2 and 3, you are wise and congratulations is in order for you. Let me explain both situations. For number 2, If you have thrown everything at the defense, an Elastico is something they won’t see coming and being only 33 minutes into the game, it’s not a bad idea to try it. On the other hand, for number 3, being 3 goals up allows you to try different things, but as a wise footballer, you would only try the Elastico when the right field position and opposition numbers presented themselves to you.

What About The Other Situations?

For number 1, there is only a lead of 1 goal and that means no risky business, especially when the technique possesses such difficulty. Your team still needs to attack, but there are safer ways to get that last goal you need. For the last situation I’ve listed there, if you are losing this badly, you probably haven’t got the passing and the finishing down pact. So that means, no moves, just pure two touch football which should see you get back in front. I hope many of you realise that Ronaldinho can do any trick he wants at any time, however, being a professional footballer means that you need to be responsible and put the team ahead of you own personal glory, that way when you wow the crowd, you do so while you’re also winning the game for the team.

When you read the title, I’m sure a whole range of different things come to mind. A football for one, because you cannot be a footballer without a football. But in this case, we are going to be limited to the context of playing good football. So I ask again, what is the one thing a footballer cannot be without when he/she wants to play a great game. They need adequate rest.

What Is So Important About Resting?

If you didn’t know already sleep deprivation is a real nuisance and can severely have effects on your health. But for many of us, this isn’t the case, so I move on to say that, much like sleep deprivation, when you lack rest, your football gets affected severely for the worse. So what exactly does rest do to you on the field? You will get tired and fatigued much easier than normal, which is one of the worst nightmares any footballer would face. Being in front of a crowd to realise that you lack that extra strength to go after the ball with all your might and being. This restlessness becomes a lob-sided game for you as every 50/50 ball becomes a 70/30 ball, in favour of your opposition.

One Good Example Is Me

Many tell me I have great talent when I play on Saturday afternoon, but this gets thrown out the window on Sunday afternoon. Why? Because on Saturday, I go out onto the field and play my heart out, risking limbs and joints to make every ball count. This helps the team secure a victory. Most the time it works and we are victorious that afternoon. I feel good about the way I played and all that cheesy stuff that goes along with it. After hitting the showers, I realise that I have a lot of bumps and bruises, and overall I feel like my legs are about to collapse. Then it hits me. In around 18 hours I have another football game I need to play. I will tell you now, 18 hours is no where near enough after the ferocious and tiring representative games that I play. So Sunday rolls around and my performance on-field is sub-par due to the tired state my body is still in. I can still play, but no where near as good as the day before. The only decent rest I get all week is between Sunday and Tuesday, even then I do my own training, but it’s much lighter.

Ronaldinho Realised This

And that is why he pulled out of Copa America, so that he could get the rest he needed after a whole year of playing football. I hope this post has really opened up your eyes to how important having rest really is in the world of football. Many tend to throw this idea out the window thinking that rest is for the weak, but if you do come across anyone like this, straighten them up. Preferably by showing them how well you play all rested up