Factbox on Ronaldinho, who is negotiating a transfer from Paris St Germain to Manchester United:

1980 - Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on March 21. His full name is Ronaldo Assis de Moreira. Brother Roberto Assis is a former Brazilian international.

1997 - Top scorer at the under-17 world championship in Egypt.

1998 - Makes his debut at professional level with his local team Gremio, playing five games.

1999 - Plays first game for Brazil against Latvia on June 26. Wins Copa America with Brazil, scoring his first international goal against Paraguay. Has won 34 caps for Brazil, scoring 13 goals to date.

2000 - Top scorer in the Confederations Cup with six goals.

2001 - Signs for Paris St Germain on a five-year contract. Moves to Paris in March but only starts playing at the beginning of the 2001-2002 season in August after a protracted legal battle between PSG and Gremio over the transfer fee.

2002 - Wins the World Cup with Brazil. One of the best players in the tournament, his goal from a 35-metre lob against England in the quarter-finals especially memorable.

2002-2003 - Resumes playing with PSG late after recovering from the World Cup, but his relationship with coach Luis Fernandez deteriorates despite occasional brilliant performances and scoring eight goals.

2003 - Makes it clear he hopes to leave PSG after they fail to qualify for any European cup competition. Brother and agent Roberto Assis starts negotiations with Manchester United.