FIFA 16 was a sad edition in the hugely successful video game’s history.
It was the first in a long, long time not to feature Ronaldinho.
The Brazil legend left Fluminense, who were included in FIFA 16, in September 2015, meaning he was without a club as the game was released.
It meant players were unable to add Ronaldinho’s five star skill moves, or wicked free-kicks, to their Ultimate Team. What a shame.
Ronaldinho’s legacy in the game dates back to 2004, when he appeared on the front cover alongside Thierry Henry and Alessandro del Piero. For a generation of fans, his absence felt entirely wrong.
Some modders added Ronaldinho to FIFA 17
Thankfully, some clever modders from Moddingway felt just as incensed by Ronaldinho’s omission as we do. So they decided to add the Barcelona hero to FIFA 17.
It’s pretty much everything we hoped it would be.
We’re not sure what rating the modders gave him but based on footage of playmaker playing for Classic XI, it was pretty high.
The twinkle toes and the skills are there, as is Ronaldinho’s trademark headband.
Video: Footage of Ronaldinho in 2017
Moddingway claim to have enabled Ronaldinho’s face which is hidden in FIFA 17, adding: “We have been able to add Ronaldinho to Classic XI. As well as we did with Robinho, it was a complex process hex editing squad files. We have enabled his real face hidden in the game.”
Anyway, the moment you’ve been waiting for. Footage of Ronaldinho in action.
Not bad. What we’d give to play as the buck-toothed maestro one more time.
Instead, we will have to wait for EA Sports to introduce Ronaldinho’s legend card, which seems inevitable considering they’ve honoured David Seaman and Teddy Sheringham with them in the past. (No offence, guys, but you don’t really come close to the World Cup and Ballon d’Or winner.)
Life after football
Ronaldinho seems to be enjoying life after football. The 36-year-old, an ambassador for Barcelona, celebrated the start of Carnival season in Rio de Janeiro this past weekend, while he recently attended NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans.
It’s easy for some.