Football legend and FIFA World Cup winner Ronaldinho is officially stepping onto the virtual pitch, joining the free-to-play competitive football game GOALS as its latest “Original” character.
The announcement, made Friday by Stockholm-based developer GOALS, marks the second major celebrity addition to the game’s roster, following popular influencer and boxer KSI. The Brazilian icon is now available for players to acquire via the in-game store. The addition of Ronaldinho comes as GOALS celebrates a rapidly growing player base, now boasting nearly two million users worldwide.
Unlike traditional sports simulation games where real-world stars have fixed, identical ratings across all users, GOALS utilises a unique player generation and development system. While Ronaldinho’s character model remains visually faithful to his iconic, smiling real-life counterpart, his attributes and progression will be entirely dictated by the player’s in-game choices.
This means that no two versions of Ronaldinho will be identical. Each digital iteration will evolve uniquely over time, adapting to the specific playstyle and tactical needs of the club he belongs to while retaining the signature trickery and flair that defined his real-world career.
“GOALS has been developed to reward pure, skill-based gameplay, and nobody embodies that spirit better than one of the most recognisable and skilful players in history of the beautiful game,” said Andreas Thorstensson, CEO of GOALS. “Every player and team in GOALS is unique, so we’re excited to see the different versions of Ronaldinho our community receives and the creative ways they’ll use him to win matches.”
Ronaldinho himself echoed that excitement, noting that the game’s philosophy aligns with how he always approached the sport:
“This is a special project, made for everyone, and it brings back the joy of football the way it should be,” Ronaldinho said. “The smile, the flair, that’s something I’ve always carried with me, and it means a lot to see people bringing that to the pitch in the game.”enre.
The game is currently available with full cross-platform matchmaking across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.