How Ronaldinho Became a Streetwear Muse
What do Nike, Corteiz, Kid Super and Nude Project all have in common?
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Ronaldinho is one of the most accomplished football players of all time. To this day, the Brazilian is the only player ever to have won the World Cup, the Copa América, the Confederations Cup, the Champions League, the Copa Libertadores and the Ballon d'Or — the highest individual honour in global football.
Throughout his career, during which he graced teams like PSG, Barcelona and AC Milan, he mesmerised fans and opponents alike with his dazzling commitment not just to winning, but to winning in style, true joga bonito. No look passes, rainbow flicks and drag backs were staples of his magic box of tricks, which he’d bring out in almost every game regardless of the score.
I remember seeing him play in an international friendly against Ghana in London, alongside a teenage Neymar who was closely taking notes. Ronaldinho was also a cultural icon and an invaluable asset for Nike, whose 2005 commercial of him juggling a ball and repeatedly smashing it against a crossbar became YouTube’s first ever video to reach over one million views.
But nowadays, with his playing career a distant memory, the 45-year-old Brazilian has fallen into a very different career path. While most former pros go on to coach, become pundits (or more likely these days start podcasts that no one listens to), Ronaldinho has become an unlikely fashion star, an in-demand muse and collaborator to streetwear designers, sneaker brands and luxury labels alike.
Last week, he featured as part of the latest instalment of Nike’s Air Max 95 collaboration with breakout London streetwear label Corteiz, whose founder Clint, who has long looked to football culture for inspiration, has built up an increasing connection to Ronaldinho and Brazilian street style itself over the years.
It wasn’t the first time the pair had teamed up. In true Corteiz style, Clint, Ronaldinho and rapper Central Cee caused mayhem in the streets of London at a Nike-organised event ahead of the Champions League final last spring. A former professional football player from Brazil (who speaks broken English at best) forming a bond and working relationship with two of London’s biggest culture kids at least 20 years his junior is certainly an outcome no one would have predicted.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, Ronaldinho was the subject of a limited collection by Barcelona-based streetwear label Nude Projects titled “Lil Kid, Big Dreams”, which featured his face across a series of T-shirts.
But it was in 2024 when the Brazilian superstar formally announced himself to the fashion world, when he walked for well-known football fan and designer Colm Dillane in the Kid Super Autumn/Winter 24 runway show, revealing a well-received collaboration between the Brooklyn-based brand and the former player.
It featured several football-inspired pieces and nods to Ronaldinho’s personal style, including a pair of three-quarter length shorts, a training jersey and T-shirts carrying archival images from his playing days.
The growing fixation on Ronaldinho as a design muse speaks to the fashion industry’s fixation on the era in sports that he represents.
The truth is, he was always a natural style icon, especially in his playing days, with his long hair, headbands, and his nostalgic, baggy training outfits. Both his image and his playing style defined the T90 era of the Brazil national team in the early 2000s, in which they competed in the iconic Nike kits, which the brand is now bringing back out of its archive along with accompanying footwear.
It’s no wonder that, as fashion and streetwear brands have increasingly gravitated towards football and retro football designs, Ronaldinho and his carefree approach to the game and his style began cropping up on designers’ mood boards.
No one else did it like him.
That’s all for today, friends. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Until next time!
DYM
Fun fact Daniel — I think it was in 2005 when R10 became the first person to reach 1 million views on YouTube with the Nike Tiempo commercial (the crossbar challenge). Then, in 2010, he debuted the song “Sozinho,” which still ranks among the Top 10 songs here in Brazil.
That YouTube video was so iconic. My friends and i were never sure if he was really hitting the crossbar or it was faked