Ronaldihno and Rafa Márquez: paths that cross and intertwine.

I interviewed Ronaldihno in Barcelona.

The Club had been great about asking Ronaldinho for the interview, but, as in any case, the player has the privilege to grant or not the interview.

Up to this point we had found that everybody we asked for an interview gladly accepted because it was for the documentary on Rafa Márquez

Ronaldihno was no exception, and this was at a time when he was not talking to the press.

He gave us five minutes.


He told us that for him: "Rafa, in the position he plays, is the best in the world".
And he should know because, as he told us, his career and Rafa"s have been interlaced for a long time.

They have played against each other in many games between Mexico and Brazil, the most memorable one being when Mexico beat Brazil  in the Final of the Confederation Cup played in Mexico in 1999.

After that game Rafa went on to play for Monaco and Ronaldihno went to Paris Saint German. And they faced each other again. In fact, they both scored during the same game one of the times PSG visited Monaco.

During their time in France, Rafa won the Championship of France and the Cup with Monaco. PSG, where Ronaldihno played, only reached the semifinal when they lost to Bordeaux.

Courtesy OEM

And then they became team mates and friends, sharing the beginning of the “Golden Era” of Barcelona FC where they shared the League Championship in 2004-05 and 2005-06, as well as two Super Copa in 2005 and 2006.

 

Their best result together was of course, winning the UEFA Champions League 2005- 06 in Paris.

In 2008, Ronaldihno was tranfered to AC Milan while Rafa stayed on in Barcelona through 2010 becoming the most successful Mexican to play in Europe in the last 10 years.