I Finally Watched the Ronaldinho Documentary... And I Cried
In her debut column for the debut edition of OffBallFC, NWSL star Madison Hammond celebrates two legends who changed the game forever.
Welcome to OffBallFC. What is OffBallFC you might be asking? It’s all the best of OffBall – curating the most fun and talked-about content from the sports culture internet – but for soccer. Each week you’ll get a newsletter from creative lead and journalist Daniel-Yaw Miller (lifelong lover/victim of Arsenal) and unique perspectives and insight from pro soccer player Madison Hammond (Man City Girl, but don’t let that frighten you). OffBallFC is capturing the conversation around the game differently – going deep on the style, music, and brands influencing the game and exclusive interviews with our favorite creators, athletes and brand builders at the very heart of it.
Hello OffBall family, my name is Madison Hammond, and I am an NWSL player (Utah Royals) by day, and a soccer-obsessed fan by night. Every Wednesday we’ll be celebrating victories from the weekend, both on and off the pitch. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of banter, so I will also have bad takes on your favorite athletes. Welcome to my corner of OffBallFC, let’s have some fun.
I finally watched Netflix’s Ronaldinho documentary, and maybe even cried. The Brazilian legend Ronaldinho Gaúcho reminds us why we love football. His iconic smile, swagger, and commitment to having forever fun is where football thrives. I’ve been addicted to Ronaldinho since I was young, so much so that I even wore his limited edition cleats in college games as a freshman.
Only 3,000 pairs were ever made, and mine are now crumpled and dusty in the back of my mom’s closet back home. It only felt right because I went into college as an attacking midfielder, even though that only lasted two games before going to left back and never leaving. The point is that Ronaldinho embodies the freedom and fun that we all desperately wish we could achieve as pros while also winning everything there is to win. Did the partying life catch up to him in a devilish way?
Maybe, but this isn’t a review of his life’s choices, it’s an applause for someone who culturally shifted the way we all want to play football. His legacy of freedom of expression on the field was passed down to the likes of players like Neymar, and now we see it living on through the likes of Lamine Yamal and Rayan Cherki. These are players that understand the tactics, but also have the ability to breathe life into the X’s and O’s. I don’t know if I’ll ever be a player to embrace that type of risk (I like to keep my pass completion high), but watching the documentary reminded me of the time that I wish I could have the opportunity to even try.
Here’s what else me and the OffBallFC team have been watching this week in soccer culture:
There’s a little summer tournament kicking off in two weeks called the World Cup, and the ad creatives came to play.
Where the Super Bowl ads gave us paint drying (except for you, Benito), the World Cup is already wreaking star-studded mayhem. Timothée Chalamet. David Beckham. Thierry Henry. Will Farrell. Ted Lasso. Do I need to go any further? This squad is more lethal than the “Endgame” Avengers. Allow me to shout out my top 3:
No. 1
Messi, Beckham, Henry and Steve Carell walk into a… grocery store parking lot. What are you doing? This Lay’s ad is everything the World Cup is supposed to be: fun, chaos. I wish I ate more Lay’s. I’m more of a Ruffles gyal myself.
No. 2
My beloved Nike family decided to remix the ad space this year. They highlighted over 40 people with high-profile signatures to co-sign their belief that the power of the Swoosh is back, or that it never really left.
No. 3
You’ve seen Timothée everywhere lately. The Lisan Al-Gaib-Knicks-loving-Kylie Jenner-pampering WAG put on a linguistic clinic in Adidas’s latest viral spot. In an ad that gives voice to the sport’s best angels, the French-Spanish-English-speaking Chalamet steals the moment from a cast that also includes Messi, Trinity Rodman, Lamine Yamal and Jude Bellingham.
I had to say goodbye to Pep Guardiola this weekend, and now I’m rethinking my soccer fandom. To be clear, I grew up a Barcelona fan, a Culer since birth. But something about Pep’s coaching felt radically addictive when I started learning the tactics of the sport. Over the weekend it was confirmed that he would be leaving Manchester City after a decade and going into (presumed) retirement. Nobody actually mentioned that part except for Michael Jordan.
Anyway, I’ve always been obsessed with the way Pep innovated year after year, and particularly found myself attached to every midfielder he molded from good to unforgettable. Apparently, my obsession was shared by Manchester City midfielder, Sam Coffey, who snapped a photo with Rodri after the men’s and women’s sides celebrated their trophy-filled seasons last weekend.
As a fan of the Spanish bald man, winning was everything, losing was a lesson, excellence always the standard. He has rewritten what it means to be a footballer, and redefined total football as something controllable. The end of this era feels very similar to Alex Ferguson’s departure from United. Where I go from here as a City Girl is hard because I’ll never beat the bandwagon allegations. Maybe next year I’ll root for Crystal Palace.
Everyone was happy Arsenal won, except Jalen Brunson!
I know every single one of your group chats during the last two weeks revealed closet Arsenal fans. Believe me, I didn’t realize so many in my circles had been suffering in silence the last three years. The Gunners have appeared in some of my favorite songs (pre-Iceman Drake). But while people are hyped for the Knicks to be back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, I’m hyped that their star player has publicly declared fealty to Man City. It’s important for the culture, but also for my own group chat banter to remind people who won three Premier League titles in a row.
Barcelona became the first team to win the quadruple in 60 years… and the last team was a men’s team.
The 2025-26 Barcelona women have conquered football this year. They won La Liga F, the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa de la Reina and the coveted UEFA Champions League. Their dominance has been clear, and their celebrations have been fantastic. Despite their invincible season, Alexia Putellas is leaving the club this summer, marking yet another end to an incredible era.
Put some respect on my Utah Royals.
For the diehard fans, few thought they’d see the day, but for the first time in seven years, the Utah Royals are at the top of the table. Yes, that’s my team, and this is why we’re winning. We play the Portland Thorns this weekend before the summer break. Be sure to tune in.