The Best Goals of Ronaldinho in 2004

International soccer star Ronaldinho won the first of his two consecutive FIFA player of the year titles In the 2004-2005 season. He also scored 13 goals and accumulated 20 assists in club appearances for FC Barcelona, and a career-high 11 goals in international play for his native Brazil. Ronaldinho's best goals in 2004 had a substantial impact on his team's overall performance, or were so memorable that they qualify as some of the most beautiful goals of all time.

  1. Brazil v. Haiti

    • Ronaldinho scored a hat trick in a friendly match held August 18, 2004 against Haiti. For his first goal, he executed a spin move past a double team and dribbled past two more defenders, then the goalie, to put the ball in the back of the net. He scored his second goal on a place kick, and the final one off a one touch a pass from Juninho Pernambucano.

    Barcelona v. Shakhtar Donetsk

    • Ronaldinho scored one goal in a 3-0 Barcelona victory over Ukraine's Shakhtar on Sept. 29. On a possession that showcased his tremendous speed and ball-handling skills, Ronaldinho took the ball at midfield and burned past two defenders to go one-on-one with the keeper. The keeper goalie deflected the shot high in the air, then tackled Ronaldinho as he tried to recuperate. The referee called a foul, and Ronaldinho converted the penalty kick in the 63rd minute. The win helped Barcelona reach the round of 16 in the 2004 Champions League tournament.

    Barcelona v. AC Milan

    • On Nov. 2, Ronaldinho scored the winning goal in the closing minutes in a 2-1 home victory over then-undefeated 2003 UEFA Champions AC Milan. Ronaldinho got the shot off after dribbling past two defenders, one of whom was 2003 UEFA Best Defender Allesandro Nesta. The last-minute upset victory helped Barcelona reach the Champions League round of 16 that year.

    Barcelona v. Real Madrid

    • On Nov. 20, Ronaldinho scored one goal in a 3-0 rout of La Liga rival Real Madrid, which at the time was a dominating force in Spanish soccer. Real Madrid at that time had an all-celebrity squad that included Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo and Luis Figo. Ronaldinho scored in the 76th minute off lightning-fast penalty kick.

      Barcelona went on to win the 2004-2005 La Liga title with a record of 25-4-9, and Madrid came in second with a record of 25-8-5. A loss to Madrid in that game would have cost Barcelona the title.

    Barcelona v. Chelsea

    • Ronaldinho's miraculous play against Milan put his team into the Round of 16 against a powerhouse Chelsea unit. Late in the 2004 season, on Feb. 23, 2005, Barcelona won the first-leg game 2-1 on goals by Samuel Eto'o and Gaston Maxi Lopez. Chelsea won the second-leg game, but Ronaldinho scored his team's only two goals. He scored one off a penalty kick in the 27th minute. For his second, Ronaldinho froze two defenders with his footwork and then fired the ball past both of them from outside the box.