From the first moment you hear “can Ronaldinho play right wing”, you probably picture that grin, the samba-steps, and a magical pass out of nowhere. The short answer is: yes—with caveats. Ronaldinho technically played as a right winger sometimes, but it was never his primary role. In this article, BraeckBall will explore how Ronaldinho’s skills, statistics, and career history align with playing on the right wing, whether he could do it today, and what trade-offs would exist.
What positions Ronaldinho played and what he was best at
To understand whether Ronaldinho could thrive as a right winger, we need to examine where he played, how often, and where his strengths lie.
- Throughout his career, Ronaldinho was mainly known as an attacking midfielder (centre or CAM) or left winger. These were his most natural and frequent positions. -, he played 239 matches as a left winger, compared to 11 matches as a right winger during his club career.
- Other roles he filled include second striker and centre-forward, although far less often., we see that while Ronaldinho did occasionally operate.
What it takes to play right wing – and whether Ronaldinho ticks those boxes
Playing right wing (whether in a conventional or inverted sense) today demands certain physical, tactical, technical, and mental attributes. Let’s break them down, and see how Ronaldinho measures up.
|
Required quality |
Ronaldinho’s strengths |
Possible limitations or challenges |
|
Strong foot / ability with weaker foot |
He is naturally right-footed, which gives him a good chance to cross, shoot, or cut inside when playing on the right. He was known for his dribbles, creativity, and finishing with both feet. |
Being right-footed helps, but if playing on the right in a system that expects traditional overlap crosses, he might be less effective than wingers whose crossing, sometimes his best runs started from wide left to cut inside; on the right, angles differ. |
|
Dribbling & flair |
This was Ronaldinho’s signature. Tight control, unexpected turns, elite one-on-one skills. Any defender facing him on the wing would have to watch for things off rhythm. |
At right wing, defenders are often accustomed to certain patterns; if he tries too many tricks it might slow down attack transitions. Also, stamina and defensive tracking are more tested on wide right, especially if full-backs bomb forward. |
|
Tactical discipline / defensive work |
His career had phases where defensive work was less emphasized; his joy was attacking. He pressed at times, but was never known for rigorous defensive work as a winger. |
Modern right wingers (especially in high pressing / two-way systems) need to track back, help the fullback, cover midfield when inverted, etc. Ronaldinho’s weaker side could be his energy or willingness to do that across 90 minutes. |
|
Crossing and width |
He had the skill to deliver quality crosses, and to give width when needed. His vision and passing range meant he could deliver balls into the box or switch sides. |
Sometimes his creativity led him to move inside rather than stay wide. For a right winger in many systems, staying wide and hugging the line is essential – that might constrain him. Also, his crossing consistency may not rival some traditional right wingers. |
So Ronaldinho has many of the technical talents other top wingers have. The trade-offs mostly relate to tactics, defensive demands, and also whether his style fits a more rigid right-wing role.
Historical examples: Did Ronaldinho ever thrive on the right?
Yes – though infrequently – Ronaldinho did play right wing in his clubs. The statistics show:
- He played 11 matches as a right winger in total, scoring some goals and assists.
- In comparison, most of his play was as left winger (239 matches) or attacking midfield (136 matches).
- When managers used him on the right, they often did so to let him cut inside on his strong foot (his right), or to balance the attack, not to use him as a touchline-hugger constantly. This inverted winger style suited his dribbling and shooting more.
So he has precedent, but it wasn’t a defining or long-term role for him.
Could Ronaldinho play right wing in a modern tactical system?
Imagining Ronaldinho active today, where formations, pressing, fitness, and specialized roles are more intense, would he fit as a right winger?
- If used as an inverted right winger – one who starts wide but often cuts inside – he would probably shine. His dribbling, creativity, and ability to shoot from distance or find through-balls would be handy.
- In systems requiring the right winger to stay wide, deliver crosses, and constantly track back for defensive support, Ronaldinho might struggle. His stamina and discipline for that role weren’t his strongest points in later years.
- Fitness and age matter. In his prime, he had agility, pace, and explosiveness that would help. Today’s top wingers are faster, more robust, and trained in high-intensity two-way play. Ronaldinho may have needed to adapt.
Pros and cons: what you gain vs what you lose if you play Ronaldinho on right
What you gain:
- Unexpected creativity from the right flank: defenders would be warned, mismatches could happen.
- Ability to cut inside onto his right foot, shoot or play killer passes.
- Flamboyance, flair, unpredictability: those moments that change games.
What you lose or might have weaker:
- Consistency in defensive work and tracking back.
- Traditional wide crossing.
- Speed in wide sprinting or one-on-one pace vs speedy fullbacks might expose defensive gaps.
Conclusion
Can Ronaldinho play right wing? Absolutely yes, with intelligent deployment. He wasn’t born a “pure” right winger, but his skill-set and occasional prior use of that position show he has the ability to perform there. For modern teams, using him as an inverted right winger or in a system that accommodates his creative instincts would be ideal.
If you loved reading this, BraeckBall invites you to dive deeper: check out how Ronaldinho compared vs. other wingers in key stats, view his heat maps, or imagine how he’d fit in your favorite club’s current squad. Want those too? Just say the word and we’ll pull them together.
