Brazilian footballers who shared names with historical figures

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Marlon Brando (Marlon Brandão) as Mark Anthony (Marco Antônio)  

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

Brazil All-Time Team
Sao Paulo State, Rio de Janeiro
North/Northeastern Brazil, South/Southeastern Brazil
Brazilian-born players capped by other national teams
Afro-Brazlian Players
Brazil All-Team Under Mari Zagallo
Brazil All-Time Team before 1958

Brazil World Cup 1958
Brazil 1982 with Careca,etc
It's Miller/Muller time
All Diegos Team
Italian players with surname ending with an "i"
Ronaldo, Ronald, Ronnie, Ron, etc All-Time team

50 Brazilian Greatest Players (26th to 50th)

I started this blog team because of two passions of mine, football and history.  So this is about Brazilian footballers with the same names as historical figures. I chose Brazilian footballers because Brazilian footballers have a tradition of using nicknames and I found many interesting Brazilian nicknames with connections to history.

In Brazil, the use of a first name or nickname is a mark of intimacy.  They are used in all settings.  In Portuguese tradition, a person has long names - so nicknames are used because of convenience.   Brazilian football is famous for its colorful nicknames.  Pele, Cafu, Zico, etc are a few of the iconic nicknames. 

I tried my best to find names that are recognizable instantly as a connection to a historical person.  For example, Lincoln, Washington or Mozart stood out.  I decide not to use Wilson or Madison because the surnames are too common.  The name is not connected to single figure immediately. But I took Jefferson because of the lack of a goalkeeper.  And I also do not use the same name twice.  For example, so I only selected a single Washington.  The selection of a particular players is based upon the position and/or the player's level of play. Except "Elvis" or "Dante", I do not use first names. Most first names cannot be linked to a single historical figure

Although this is a all Brazilian team, I am taking 25 players as if it is a club team.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.  

Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln are featured here, but I have Franklin Roosevelt instead of Theodore.

Team
GK: Julio Cesar 
Julio Cesar was awarded the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year title in both 2009 and 2010.  He won the Champions' League with Inter Milan in 2010.  He won 87 international caps for the Seleção between 2004 and 2014. He was selected for the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups, in addition to two Copa América tournaments. Unfortunately, he was remembered for a few poor performance for Brazil at the WC Finals.

Julius Caesar is spelled Júlio César in Portuguese

GK: Jefferson
Having begun his career at Cruzeiro, Jefferson then spent 4 seasons in Turkey playing for Trabzonspor and Konyaspor before returning to Botafogo. He is among the players with the most appearances for Botafogo club history. He made his senior debut for the Seleção in 2011 and was named in their squads for two Copa América tournaments, the 2014 World Cup and their victory at the 2013 Confederations Cup.

GK: Franklin 
Franklin's full name is Franklin Roosevelt Bueres Junior, commonly known as Franklin.  He was a futsal player, playing as a goalkeeper.  He was a part of Brazil team that won the 2008 and 2012 Futsal World Cup.  He also went to the 2000 and 2004 edition.  Besides playing for clubs in Brazil, he also played in Italy and Spain.  

RB: George Lucas Coser
George Lucas started his career in 2002 with Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense. After a short spell with Clube Atlético Mineiro, he moved back to Grêmio. In 2006, he joined Spain's Celta de Vigo and left in 2009.  After that, he played for many clubs, including stints with Santos and Braga in Portugal.

RB: John Lennon
Born in Araguaína, John Lennon started with Inhumas in 2008.  He played for clubs all over Brazil.  Some of the bigger clubs included Botafogo, Atlético Clube Goianiense, Cruzeiro, etc.  At the time of writing, he is with Juventude. His parents are Beatles and he was named after John Lennon. He played with Michael Jackson Adriano while with Atlético Clube Goianiense.

CB: Dante
After emerging at Juventude in 2002, Dante went on to play for Lille, Charleroi, Standard Liège and Borussia Mönchengladbach.  With Bayern Munich, he won the 2013 Champions' league, in a treble winning campaign.  He later played for Wolfsbug. Since, he is with Nice.  From 2013 to 2014, he played 13 times for Brazil.  He was a member of the 2014 World Cup team, where he played in the game against Germany.

Dante

CB: Gladstone
Gladstone started his caeer with Cruzeiro Esporte Clube at the age of 18.  He was with them from 2003 to 2009.  He had a brief spells with Juventus, Verona, Sporting SP, etc.  Later, he played mainly in the lower division in Brazil.  Gladstone was a member of the Brazil under-20 squad at the 2005 World Youth Championship in the Netherlands, taking home the bronze medal.  he received several senior callups, but never earned a cap.

CB/DM: Marco Aurelio (also known as Mehmet Aurelio)
Mehmet Aurelio as known "Marco Aurelio" in Brazil played with Flamengo and Olaria in Brazil before moving to Turkey.  He played for Trabzonspor, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş with a stint with Real Betis in between.  Born in Brazil, he chose to play for Turkey.  He earned 37 caps, playing at the European Championship in 2008.  He was also Turkish Player of the Year in 2007.

CM/CB: Mahatma Gandhi
Named after Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi joined Atlético Clube Goianiense. In 2011, he was a substitute on bench for a match of Serie A. He made seven Serie A appearances in 2012. In 2013, he played four matches for Serie B, but did not get a chance to play in 2014. He was part of the 2014 Campeonato Goiano winning team, where he made five appearances in the state league

LB: Marco Antônio
Marco Antônio started his career with Portuguesa de Desportos in 1968.  From 1969 to 1976, he played with Fluminense FC.  From 1976 to 1980, he was with Vasco da Gama.  Then, He played for Bangu and Botafogo.  He was named Bola de Prata twice. For the national team, he played 52 times. He was a member of the 1970 World Cup winning team.  He also went to the 1974 World Cup and  1979 Copa America.

Mark Antony is spelled as Marco Antônio in Portuguese

LB: Wellington
Wellington began his career in his home country with União São João in São Paulo. Following attention from various São Paulo (state) clubs, he then loaned for América-SP and Ituano and also loaned to the German Club Mainz in 2007.  He also played for C.D. Nacional, playing in the Europa League and FK Liepājas Metalurgs.

DM/CM: Augusto 
Augusto's full name is Augusto César dos Santos Moreira.  He started with Internacional.  In the summer of 2015 Augusto joined Persian Gulf Pro League club Tractor in East Azerbaijan on a one–year loan from Brazilian club Internacional.  He also played with Emirates Club and Sanat Naft Abadan F.C..  In 2011, he represented Brazil Under-20 team.

DM: Mozart
Mozart started his career with Paraná Clube, before moving to FC Bordeaux in 1998, although he did not play any games for them. He returned to play in Brazil for Coritiba and Flamengo, and then moved to Serie A's Reggina Calcio in 2000. From 2005 to 2009, he played for Spartak Moscow.  He also played for Palmeiras and Livorno.  Mozart was in the Brazil squad for the 2000 Summer Olympics.

LW: Kenedy  (full name Robert Kenedy Nunes Nascimento)
Born in Santa Rita do Sapucaí, Minas Gerais, Kenedy is named after Robert F. Kennedy. His full name is Robert Kenedy Nunes Nascimento.  He began his career with Fluminense. In 2015, he moved to Chelsea in England.  He was later on loan to Watford and Newcastle United.  At the time of writing, he is with Getafe on loan.  He has represented Brazil in the youth level.

Kenedy's full name is Robert Kenedy Nunes Nascimento 

CM: Elvis
Elvis started his career at Paraná Clube, with a one-year spell at Botafogo. He was quickly signed by Benfica in 2011.  After six months without competing, he joined União Leiria in Primeira Liga on a year-long loan deal. He later played with Tombense, América Mineiro, Red Bull Brasil, Botafogo, CRB etc.  At the time of writing, he plays for Cuiabá Esporte Clube.

AM/DM/CM: Cicero
Cícero pfeatured heavily in Fluminense's Copa Libertadores Campaign of 2008, in which they reached the Final.  From 2008 to 2010, he played for Hertha Berlin.  He also played for Wolfsburg, Sao Paulo, Santos, Al-Gharafa, Gremio, Botafogo, etc.  He was a part of the team that won the Copa Libertadores: 2017 with Gremio.

AM: Lincoln
Lincoln started his career with Atlético Mineiro.  In 2001, he headed to Germany, where he join Kaiserslautern.  He played for Schalke 04 between 2004 and 2007.  He was nominated as one of the five best players in Bundesliga 2006, by kicker.In 2007, he joined Galatasaray.  Later, he played for Palmeiras, Avai and Coritiba.  He only represented Brazil in the Under-23, largely due to playing at the same time as Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Juninho Pernambucano, etc.

RM/CM: Socrates 
Socrates was one of Brazil's greatest players. He earned over 60 caps between 1979 and 1986. He was the captain of 1982 and 1986 World Cup team. He was one of the best attack midfielders in Brazil's history.  In 1983, he was named South American Footballer of the Year.  He spent 7 seasons with Corinthians.  He went abroad in 1984, playing a season in Serie A with Fiorentina.  He was also a MD, earning the degree while he was an active player. His younger brother is Rai who also played for Brazil.

Socrates

AM/CM: Bismarck
Bismarck began his career in 1987 with Vasco da Gama. In 1993, he moved to Japan to play for the Verdy Kawasaki.  In 1997, he moved to Kashima Antlers. He was again selected for the league's Best Eleven award three times in Japan.  He also played for Fluminense, Goiás and Vissel Kobe.   He was the MVP at the 1989 World Youth Championship.  At senior level, he was capped 13 times. He won the Copa América in 1989, and went to the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

FW: Adriano Michael Jackson 
Also known as Adriano, he played for many Brazilian sides; Ceará, América, Esporte Clube Bahia, and Palmeiras.  In Palmeiras, he was a top scorer of the 2011 Copa do Brasil.  He then played in Asia for Dalian Shide, Daejeon Citizen, Shijiazhuang Ever Bright and FC Seoul. With FC Seoul, he was the AFC Champions League Top scorer: 2016.  He was also selected onto the K League 1 Best XI: 2015, 2016.

FW: Nixon
Nixon wasa a product of Flamengo.  He made his professional debut for Flamengo against Ponte Preta in the 2012 Campeonato Brasileiro.  He was with the club from 2012 to 2018, but he spent most his career with Flamengo on loan elsewhere.  He played America MG, ABC Futebol Clube, Red Bull Brasil and Kalmar, a club in Sweden.

FW: Washington
Washington played for many clubs.  In the 2002–03 season,  he was released by Fenerbahçe because of his health problems. Once recovered, physicians told him that playing football would not represent a risk to his condition. He then joined Atlético Paranaense where he was 2004 Série A top-scorer with 34 goals, He was dubbed Coração Valente, the title of the movie Braveheart in Brazil.  He was also the league top scorer in 2008 as well as the J-League top scorer in 2006.  He was capped 8 times.

Washington

FW: Marlon Brandão
Brandão played for four clubs in Brazil, competing in the Série A with Guarani and Santa Cruz. In 1987 he moved to Portugal where he played for Sporting CP, C.F. Estrela da Amadora and Boavista in 7 years. His best season came in 1990–91, when he scored 11 goals in 31 games to help Boavista to the fourth position in the Primeira Liga. He retired in 1994 at only 30, after a few months with Spanish side Real Valladolid.

ST: Michel Platini (Brazil)
Platini began his career with Brazlândia in 2002.  He later played for, Pachuca(Mexico), Gama, Araguaína, Grêmio Anápolis, South China (Hong Kong and Veranópolis, before moving to Chernomorets Burgas in Bulgaria.  In Bulgaria, his longest stint was with CSKA.  He also played for Dinamo București. As of March 2015, Platini is the second highest foreign goalscorer in the A PFG of all time.

FW: Leônidas
Leônidas da Silva was known as "Black Diamond" and considered the greatest Brazilian footballer before the war. He was credited to be the inventor of "Bicycle Kick".  He played in two World Cup  Finals: 1934 and 1938. He was the top scorer at the tournament in 1938.  He played for a number of clubs in Brazil and Penarol. His longest spells were with Vasco Da Gama and Sao Paulo.

Leônidas 

Historical Figures represented  
Goalkeepers: Julius Caesar, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Roosevelt 
Fullbacks: George Lucas, John Lennon, Mark Antony, Arthur Wellesley Duke of Wellington.
Centerbacks: Dante, Marcus Aurelius, William Ewart Gladstone , Mahatma Gandhi.
Midfielders:  Wolfgang Mozart, Elvis Presley, Otto Bismarck, Robert Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Socrates, Augustus,  Cicero.
Fowards: Michael Jackson, Richard Nixon, Michel Platini,
Marlon Brando, George Washington, Leonidas I.

Honorable Mention
I decided not to create honorable mentions because many players shared the same names.  I have a lot of Jeffersons, Lincolns, Washingtons and Marco Antônios.  Besides, this team is not about skills and decorations.  It is about "names" only.

Squad Explanation
-- I decided not to use the same names twice.

--  I also considered this Julio Cesar (Juventus and Borussia Dortmund) and Wagner.   
-- There are many Brazilian players named Washingtons.  The Washington I selected is probably better than most other Washingtons in Brazil.  I also considered this Washington, a player known as the "New Pele", but he never lived up to the bill. 
-- I selected  that Wellington because I needed a leftback. I also considered this Wellington.  The Duke of Wellington is not a real name. It was a title created in 1814 for Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington.  Everyone should associate the name or title to this single historical figure.
-- I really wanted to select attack midfielder Marx Lenin.  Technically speaking, he is not a single historical person.
-- I came up with Madison and Wilson (US Presidents), but they are too common to be linked with a single historical person. There are a few players named Wagners, but the surname Wagner is very common. 
-- Jefferson is also a common surname.   The name is not instantly connected to a single historical figures.  However, I do not have enough players if I don't take him.  I have many other football playing Jeffersons, but I selected a goalkeeper. Kenedy (Kennedy) is also common surname, but his full name is Robert Kenedy Nunes Nascimento.  Franklin's full name is Franklin Roosevelt Bueres Junior,
-- Julio Cesar is a common name for footballers.  I actually do not find his name with a strong connection to Julius Caesar, but Julio Cesar is the Portuguese and Spanish spelling of Julius Caesar.   Furthermore, I need a goalkeeper.  I took him over defender Julio Cesar, formerly of Juventus and Borussia Dortmund because I need a goalkeeper more than a defender.
-- The Portuguese and Spanish spelling of  Mark Antony and Augustus are also Marco Antônio and Augusto respectively.  I found this footballer named Augusto whose full name is Augusto César dos Santos Moreira.  Cleo is also a short for Cleopatra, but I decided against selecting this Cleo.  
-- Mark Antony was an ally of Julius Caesar and the main rival of his successor Octavian (later Augustus).  Cicero was a rival for both Mark Antony and Julius Caesar.  He was later betrayed by Augusto and was killed by Mark Antony.  Cícero the footballer played with Fluminense. 
-- Marlon Brando the actor played Mark Antony in the 1953 film "Julius Casear".  I also selected Marlon Brandão the footballer.
--  Mehmet Aurelio was known as Marco Aurelio in Brazil before going over to Turkey adopting a Turkish name.  Marco Aurelio is the Portuguese spelling for Marcus Aurelius.  
-- I do not know if Mahatma Gandhi is a centerback.
-- For rightback, I was choosing between Madison and George Lucas Coser, but Madison is very common surname.  People do not immediately identified the name as James Madison or anyone in history.  I ruled out Madison.

-- I also kept John Lennon over Píndaro (the footballer).  Píndaro the Greek poet was not as well-known as John Lennon.
-- I know Franklin is common name, not directly associated to a historical figure, but Franklin's full name is Franklin Roosevelt Bueres Junior.  He was a futsal player, but he should be able to handle a 11 vs 11 edition of the game. He was also on the same Brazil futsal team as another goalkeeper named Schumacher.  
--  I have Michael Jackson, Elvis and John Lennon on this team along with Mozart.  Adriano Michael Jackson also goes by Adriano.  He played with John Lennon and Mahamata Gandhi at Atlético Clube Goianiense in 2013. Brazil has another player named Michael Jackson, but the player is a female player.  I decided to separate the sex. Creedence Clearwater Couto went by the name Paulista.  Anyway, it is the name of a band. not a person.  I also found a footballer named Gênesis.  

-- Hulk and Ben-Hur are fictional characters. 
--The name Alex is too common to be associated with a single historical figures.  Malcom and Leonardo are also not close enough to be connected to Malcom X and Leonardo Da Vinci respectively. On the other hand, Elvis and Dante are used regularly without the surname to describe the two historical persons.
--  The name Leônidas is closely associated with Leônidas I.  The name is rare enough to be recognizable as a single historical figure.  
-- I also ruled out Mazzola, but I took Michel Platini (Brazil).  Michel Platini is another level up because his name is used the full name of Michel Platini. I also ruled out Lynneeker, Lineker Augusto, Raikard (Rijkaard), Rudigullithi (Ruud Gullit) or Mattheus (who was Bebeto's son).  I also found a footballer named Makelele.  
-- Roberto Carlos is a famous singer in Brazil, but he is not famous as the other historical figures mentioned.  The footballer is more famous than the singer outside of Brazil.
-- Senna is also a common surname in Brazil.  So I ruled him out.
-- Julio Cesar and Dante are associated with Germany's 7-1 victory over Brazil at the 2014 World Cup Finals.
-- Three of the US Presidents featured on the Mt. Rushmore are represented here.  The fourth one is Teddy Roosevelt, but I have "Franklin Roosevelt". 
-- Robert Kennedy and Richard Nixon are of course from the same periods in history. RFK could have been running against Nixon in the 1968 US Election.
-- William Ewart Gladstone was Prime Minister of Great Britain for 12 years on four separate occasions between 1868 and 1894.  This covered the same period as Otto von Bismarck was in power.  He was Prime Minister during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71.  Abraham Lincoln was also from the same period of time, but he died before some of the key events took place in Europe under Gladstone and Bismarck.

Formation

Ronaldo, Ronald, Ronnie, Ron etc All-Time Team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Ronaldinho and Cristano Ronaldo

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

It's Miller/Muller time
All Diegos Team
Italian players with surname ending with an "i"
What if Ronaldo and Messi playing for Australia in 2006
Brazilian players who shared names with historical figures

The idea of this blog team came because of the fact that Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Cristano Ronaldo shared the same name.  Together, they won 8 Ballon D'or titles at the time of writing.  It is the only name that have multi winners.

Ronaldo is a Spanish and Portuguese form of the name Ronald. Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse Rögnvaldr. In some cases Ronald is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Raghnall, a name likewise derived from Rögnvaldr. The latter name is composed of the Old Norse elements regin ("advice", "decision") and valdr ("ruler", "brightness").  Ronald was originally used in England and Scotland, where Scandinavian influences were once substantial, although now the name is common throughout the English-speaking world.  A short form of Ronald is Ron. Pet forms of Ronald include Roni, and Ronnie. The names Renaud/Renault and Reynold/Reinhold are cognates from French and German respectively. 

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for players whose names are Ronaldo, Ronald, or Ron.  Since this is not a national team, the team consists of 25 players.

Ronaldinho and Ronaldo

Team
GK: Ronnie Simpson (Scotland)
Ronnie Simpson was one of the "Lisbon Lions" who won the European Cup in 1967.  He also played for Queen's Park, Third Lanark and Hibernian. He represented Great Britain at the 1948 Olympics, but he did not play for Scotland until 1966.  He set a new record for being the oldest player to make his Scotland debut, aged 36 years and 196 days.  He only played 5 times for Scotland. He was Celtics' greatest ever keeper.

GK: Ronaldo Giovanelli (Brazil)
Ronaldo Giovanelli began his career with Corinthians. He played over 600 games for Corinthians from 1986 and 1998.  He won Campeonato Paulista in 1988, 1995 and 1997.  He played for many clubs after leaving them in 1998.  He won the Bola de Prata award for the best goalkeeper in 1990 and 1994.  He was capped twice in 1993.

Ronaldo Giovanelli 

GK: Ronaldo Vieira Passocs (Brazil)
Ronaldo Vieira Passocs helped Esparto Clube Bahia to win the 1988 Brazilian Championship (Campeonato Brasileiro), where he was the team's starting goalkeeper. He started as a reserve, but became a starter after Sidmar left the club. In 1991, he moved to to rival Vitoria.  With them, he won Campeonato Baiano: 1992, 1995, 1996.

RB: Ronaldo Moraes (Brazil)
Ronaldo Moraes started with Corinthians in 1982,  but he began his professional career on loan with Paraná. He went to Grêmio in 1985, where he was champion in Rio Grande do Sul that year. He also played for Botafogo in Ribeirão Preto. For Brazil, he competed in the 1984 Olympic Games winning the silver medal.  He had 6 senior caps.

CB: Ronald Koeman  (Netherlands)
Ronald Koeman was the rock solid sweeper of Holland's Euro1988 team.  He was capped 78 times. He also won two European Cups, one each for PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona FC.  He scored the winning goal for Barcelona's victory in 1992. The Cup was Barcelona FC's first ever European Cup.  In the Netherlands, he played for all of the "big three" clubs, namely Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord.

Ronald Koeman

CB: Naldo "Ronaldo Aparecido Rodrigues" (Brazil)
Naldo began his football career with RS Futebol and Juventude in Brazil.  He moved to Germany in 2005.  He played with Werder Bremen form 2005 to 2012.  He then played for Wolvesburg and Schalke 04. For Brazil, he had 4 caps, but was called up numerous times. He was a part of the team that won the Copa America in 2007, but did not play in the tournament.

CB: Ron Yeats (Scotland)
Ron Yeats joined Liverpool in 1961 from Dundee United. He was the captain of the Liverpool side that won the promotion to the top level and began nearly 25 years of successes in England.   He then spent a decade at Liverpool captaining them to three trophies in the mid 1960s. He later had three years as player/manager at Tranmere Rovers. He  was also player/manager at Barrow and Santa Barbara Condors.

CB: Ronaldo Guiaro (Brazil) 
Ronaldo Guiaro started playing with Guarani Futebol Clube, moving to Clube Atlético Mineiro shortly after. In 1996, he joined S.L. Benfica in Portugal.  After five seasons with Benfica, Ronaldo signed for Beşiktaş J.K. in Turkey.  He later played with Santos and Aris Thessaloniki.  He played every matches for Brazil at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

CB: Ronaldão (Brazil)
Ronaldão spent most of his career with Sao Paulo.  Between 1994 and 1995, he played for Shimizu S-Pulse.  He later played for Santos, Flamengo and Ponte Preta.  He played 14 times in the Seleção between 1991–1995, scored two goals, and won the 1994 World Cup as an injury replacement for Ricardo Gomes.  Because of him, Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was at one point known as Ronaldinho.

Ronaldão 

CB: Ron Harris (England) 
Known by the nickname "Chopper", Harris played for Chelsea between 1961 and 1980. Harris is widely regarded as one of the toughest defenders of his era.   He captained Chelsea as it won the FA Cup in 1970.  Then, he helped Chelsea to win the European Cup Winners' Cup a year later in 1971, Chelsea's first ever trophy in Europe.  He finally left Chelsea in 1980 to become a player-coach at Brentford.

LB/LW: Rónald Matarrita (Costa Rica)
From 2012 to 2016, Matarrita played for Liga Deportiva Alajuelense.  In 2016, he joined NY City FC.  For the national team, he made his senior debut on 5 September 2015 in a friendly against Brazil.  Matarrita was called up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but was ruled out of the tournament three days before Costa Rica's debut due to a harmstring injury.  

CM/LH: Ron Burgess (Wales)
Ron Burgess was a miner before becoming a footballer. He spent majority of his career with Tottenham Hotspurs.  He was the captain of Tottenham Hotspurs' League champion team in 1951. Burgess joined Swansea Town in 1954 as a player and played until 1956, taking over as manager of Swansea Town from 1955 to 1958. For Wales, he played 32 times and was the captain.

Ron Burgess 

DM: Reinaldo Merlo (Argentina)

Reinaldo Merlo played his entire career for River Plate as a defensive midfielder. He was part of the midfield that conquered a string of championships under coach Ángel Labruna between 1975 and 1981. He made over 500 appearances for River Plate. He made 42 appearances in the Superclasico, more than any other player in history.

LM/CM: Ronnie Whelan (Ireland)
Whelan played for Liverpool during the 1980's, where he won the 1983-1984 European Cup and 6 league titles. He was ranked the 30th greatest player for Liverpool.  Whelan finished his career at Southend United, where he was also player-manager.  He was capped 53 times, and played at Euro 1988 and the WC Finals in 1990 and 1994 for Ireland.

RW/RM: Ronald De Boer (Netherlands)

On the professional club level, De Boer played for Ajax ,Twente , Barcelona, Rangers, Al-Rayyan and Al-Shamal. De Boer won 67 caps and scored 13 goals for the Netherlands national team. He played for Holland in the 1994 and the 1998 World Cups, where he played in six matches and scored two goals. He missed a penalty in the penalty shootout against Brazil in the 1998 semi-finals. De Boer also played in Euro 1996 and Euro 2000.

Ronald De Boer

RH/RM/RW/RB: Ronnie Clayton (England)
Ronnie Clayton made his first-team debut as a 16-year-old in the 1950–51 season with Blackburn Rovers, and between then and 1969 made 581 appearances for his only Football League club. He then became player-manager of Morecambe.  At the international level, Clayton was capped 35 times for England, including five as captain. He was part of England's team at the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

AM: Reynald Pedros (France)
Pedros played as a left-footed attacking midfielder, formed in Nantes. He was part of the magic trio of FC Nantes with Patrice Loko and Nicolas Ouédec. He won the Ligue 1 title with Nantes in 1995. The following year he reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. His career suffered after 1996.  He played for many clubs, including Mariselle, Nastia, Napoli, Parma, Lyon, etc.  Capped 25 times.  His reputation suffered after Euro 1996, where he missed a penalty against the Czech Republic.

AM/FW/LW: Ronaldinho (Brazil)

Ronaldinho was a member of tyhe "Three R's" with Rivaldo and Ronaldo that helped Brazil winning the WC in 2002.  He started his career with Gemio before moving to Europe. He played with Paris St Germaine and Barcelona before his form started to drop. He formed the REM line with Etoo and Messi before fighting among them destroyed the team. 

FW: Ronaldo Gonçalves Drummond (Brazil)
Ronaldo is the first cousin of Tostao.  From 1963 to 1972, he played for Aletico Mineiro.  He debuted at Palmeiras on May 26, 1972 in a 2-2 draw against Real Madrid in Spain.  With, Palmeiras,  he won the Campeão Paulista in 1972 and 1974, and the Brasileiro in 1972 and 1973.  He could play anywhere in the attack.  He was capped once by Brazil in 1968.

FW/LW: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Ronaldo is one of the greatest forward of his generation.  He is the most expensive players in history from 2009-2013 when he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid.  At the time of writing, he won the Ballon d'Or winner twice and won Champions' League titles with both Manchester United and Real Madrid.  He helped Portugal to reach the Final of European Championship in 2004 and 2016, winning it in 2016.  

Naldo vs Ronaldo

FW: Rinaldo (Brazil)
From 1964 to 1967, Rinaldo played for Palmeiras.  He also played for Náutico, Fluminense, Auto Esporte, Treze and Coritiba, ending his career in 1972 with União Barbarense.  From 1964 to 1967, he played 11 games and scored 5 goals for Brazil. He was one of the 47 players called up by Vicente Feola before the 1966 World Cup Finals, but he was not included in team who participated in the tournament.

FW: Renaldo (Brazil)

Renaldo played for more than 15 different clubs in his country, most notably for Clube Atlético Mineiro.  In 1996, he was Campeonato Brasileiro Série A joint top scorer.  That year, he earned his first cap and secured a move to Deportivo La Coruna in Spain.  After four unsuccessful seasons with the Spanish clubs, his career went through a downfall.

ST: Reinaldo (Brazil)
Reinaldo was a hero at Atlético Mineiro, where the fans called him the "King"("o Rei", in Portuguese, which also served as a pun on his name).  He was their all-time leading scorer.  He still holds the record of highest goal average per game in the Brazilian league, with 1.55 goals per match. He won eight Campeonato Mineiro titles including six consecutively: in 1976, 1978–1983 and 1985.  For the national team, he earned 37 caps and went to the 1978 World Cup Finals.

ST: Ronald Cerritos (El Salvador)
Cerritos has spent the bulk of his career playing in MLS, being signed by the league in1997.  His best stint was with San Jose Clash(Earthquakes).  He later played with Dallas Burn, DC United and Houston Dynamo.  He is a member of San Jose Earthquakes Hall of Flame.  For El Salvador, he has over 70 caps between 1993 and 2008.

ST: Ronaldo (Brazil)
Ronaldo was widely considered among the greatest ever to have played the game.  He led Brazil to two World Cup Finals match, winning the one in 2002.  He scored 8 goals in 2002.  He was the winner of Ballon d'Or twice and the FIFA World Player of the Year three times.  He is the second top-scorer in World Cup history.  He played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid, and for both AC Milan and Inter Milan. 

Ronaldo

Honorable Mention
Ronnie McKinnon (Scotland), Ronny (Brazil), Ron Atkinson (Scotland), Ron Greenwood (England), Ronny Jiménez (Bolivia), Ronaldo Sánchez (Bolivia), Ron Springetti (England), Ronaldo Peña (Venezuela), Ronaldo Pompeu (Brazil), Ronny Johnsen (Norway), Ron Vlaar (Holland), Ronnie O'Brien (Ireland), Ronnie Whelan Sr (Ireland), Ronny Jiménez (Bolivia), Ronny Rosenthal (Israel), Ron Davis (Wales), Ronaldo Vieira (Guinea Bissau/Portugal/England), Ronald Araújo (Uruguay).

Squad Explanation
-- The idea of this blog team came because of the fact that Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Cristano Ronaldo shared the same name.  So I did try to include as many "Ronaldos" as possible.  Of course, there are not enough footballers of note with the name Ronaldo so I included Ronald and other forms of the name.

-- So the blog is more about the name "Ronaldo".  I have given priority to players with the name Ronaldo or "do" at the back over simply "Ron" or "Ronald.  And I am trying to be as confusing as possible.  

-- I digged and digged.  I only came up with 10 players of note named "Ronaldo".  In addition, I did see about 10 more players with that name playing in Brazil.  Of course, I do not envision myself finding every single footballer named "Ronaldo" in the world.  
-- Renato is not a form of "Ronald".
-- Ronaldo ("Phenomenon") was at one point known as "Ronaldinho"(Little Ronaldo).  He was playing with "Ronaldão" (Ronaldo Rodrigues de Jesus) on the national team.  "Ronaldão"  was known as "Ronaldo" before the emerge of the "Phenomenon".  With the two on same team, he became "Ronaldão" (Big Ronaldo) while Ronaldo  ("Phenomenon") was known as Ronaldinho.
-- Ronaldo and Ronaldão were on the 1994 World Cup team.  They also played together on the same lineup during the Umbre Cup and the Copa America in 1995.
-- Around 1999, another "Ronaldo" emerged in Brazil.  At first, he was known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho.  Now, he is better known as Ronaldinho.  Of course, he was the one who played with PSV, Barcelona, AC Milan, etc. Meanwhile,  the "Phenomenon" had became "Ronaldo" because Ronaldão was no longer on the national team.  
-- Ronaldo Guiaro played with Ronaldo at the 1996 Olympic team. 
-- Ronaldo Moraes and Ronaldão played 4 times together for Brazil between 1991 and 1992.
-- Of course, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho won a World Cup for Brazil in 2002.  

-- Cristiano Ronaldo was named after Ronald Reagan.  He wore Real Madrid number 9 jersey for a single season, which was Ronaldo's number at Madrid.
-- Goalkeeper Ronaldo Giovanelli was the starting goalkeeper for Brazil against Germany on November, 1993.  He was listed as "Ronaldo II", but no other Ronaldo played with him that day.  While still playing for Corinthians, he was the lead singer of the band "Ronaldo e os Impedidos (Ronaldo and the Offsiders)".  He is a member of my Corinthians All-Time Team.
-- Ronaldo Vieira Passocs is a member of my Esporte Clube Bahia All-Time team.
-- Both Ronaldo Giovanelli and Ronaldo Vieira Passocs edged out Ron Springetti and Ronnie Hellstrom because of their name "Ronaldo". Both Springetti and Hellstrom were much more famous goalkeepers.
-- I took Ronnie Simpson over Ronnie Hellstrom because Simpson's full name is Ronald while Hellstrom is simply "Ronnie".
-- My team has a goalkeeper named Ronaldo Vieira Passocs and then, I put a midfielder named Ronaldo Vieira (Guinea Bissau/Portugal/England) on honorable mention.
-- Ronaldo Vieira (Guinea Bissau/Portugal/England) has a twin brother named Romario.  They were named after Brazil footballers, Ronaldo and Romário.  Born in Guinea Bissau, they were raised in Portugal and England.  I put him on honorable mention for now.
-- I selected 6 centerbacks. Ronnie McKinnon (Scotland), Ron Vaar (Netherlands) and Ronny Johnsen (Norway) are probably better players than Ronaldo Guiaro, but I took the Brazilian for his name. Both Johnsen and Vaar are not named "Ronald".  I also did the same for Naldo.  Naldo's full name is Ronaldo Aparecido Rodrigues.  Anyway, he is a member of my Werder Bremen All-Time team.
--  Ron Clayton was one of the first seven players to be inducted into Blackburn Rovers Hall of Fame.  He was a right-half, which I put him as a right midfielder.  He can be used as a rightback (unsure), I think. So I only selected a single rightback Ronaldo Moraes and left Ronny Jiménez (Bolivia) out.  Ronny Jiménez seemed to be a journayman in Bolivia, despite being capped by Bolivia. 
-- The team has no real leftback, except Rónald Matarrita of Costa Rica.
-- George Best was actually registered as Ronald Samuel Best on his birth certificate, but his name was changed to George.  If Best is on the team, I would use a 4-4-2 formation with him on the right wing and Ronaldinho on the left.  Ronaldo and Cristano Ronaldo would then play upfront.  But I decided not to go with George Best.
-- Ron Atkinson (Scotland) and Ron Greenwood were famous managers from the United Kingdom.

-- Reynald is a French form of Ronald.  So I took Reynald Pedros.

-- Reinaldo is also a Spanish or Portuguese form of "Reynold" and "Reynold" also came from the name "Rognvald".  He was probably the best player on the team after Ronaldo, Cristano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.  In Brazil, he was considered among the greatest strikers. 

-- Reinaldo Merlo is on my River Plate All-Time team.
-- Ronaldo Gonçalves Drummond is a first cousin of Tostão.  He played once for Brazil in December, 19th 1968 at Estádio Mineirão, scoring a goal in a 3-2 win over Yugoslavia.  The match appeared to be Brazil "B" team as every member of the Brazilian team played club football for Atlético Mineiro.  It was the only match managed by Yustrich for Brazil too. He was coaching Atlético Mineiro in 1968. Two days earlier, Brazil also played and beat Yugoslavia with a lineup including Pele, Gerson, Rivelino, Carlos Alberto, Tostão, etc at Estádio do Maracanã.
-- The last two spots was between Ron Davis, Renaldo and Rinaldo.  I decided to drop Ron Davis (Wales) and selected Renaldo and Rinaldo.  Renaldo is a Portuguese form of "Ronald".  Although Ron Davis' name is "Ronald Davis", Renaldo's name has a "do".  The idea of the team was to be as "confusing" as possible.  

-- Rinaldo was capped 11 times for Brazil in the 1960's, but I do not know if the name is a form of "Ronaldo".  The team might be more confusing with him on the team than Ron Davis.

-- When Renaldo joined Deportivo La Coruna, he said:  "I am like Ronaldo, but with an "e"".  He turned into one of the club's worst ever signings. 
-- Ronnie O'Brien was also on the original team, but I dropped him.  He enjoyed a cult status in the world of football. In 1999, he made news around when he was released by Middlesbrough without ever playing a first team game and suddenly, found himself signed by Juventus.  Later, he was named the MLS All-Star: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and MLS Best XI twice.  It is impossible to rate him against other players in question.  

-- I took Ronald Cerritos over Ronny Rosenthal.  I do believe that Rosenthal is more famous than Cerritos, but Rosenthal's first name is Ronny, not Ronald. 

-- Ronaldo Peña (Venezuela) has not been capped at the senior level.

Formation I
This is a Brazilian 4-2-2-2 formation.  I do not know if Reynald Pedros can play as a right midfielder.  I also move Ronald Koeman to the midfield while forcing Ron Burgess to play as a leftback.  Ron Harris and Naldo might be more famous than Ronaldão, but I want to start "Big Ronaldo".

Formation II
The formation consists of 9 "Ronaldos" plus Reinaldo and Reinaldo Merlo.