Ronaldinho works his magic for Barca and Brazil

Ronaldinho, who has already completed a clean sweep of the three most prestigious individual trophies in world football, hot favourite to retain his World Player of the Year crown in Zurich next week.

The 25-year-old Brazilian's status as the most exciting player in the world has been underlined by a succession of virtuoso performances for Barcelona in recent weeks.

He gave a sublime display to lead Barca to a 3-0 victory over arch-rivals Real Madrid last month, scoring two solo goals in a display which brought the applauding Bernabeu crowd to their feet in admiration.

Four days later he steered the Catalans to a 3-1 win over Werder Bremen, notching a trademark free kick and laying on the two other goals.

Last weekend, a little over an hour after being presented with the European Footballer of the Year's Ballon D'Or by his mother Miguelina, he scored a stunning late winner against Sevilla that allowed his side to equal their 50-year-old club record of 11 consecutive victories in all competitions.

Those who witnessed these displays were left in no doubt that they had been in the presence of a footballing genius.

It comes as no surprise, then, that international coaches and captains, fellow players and football journalists all agree that Ronaldinho is the best in the world.

The toothy-grinned forward deserves his trophies not just for his astounding individual skills but also for the wider impact he has had on the game.

Two years ago he arrived at Barcelona after an unsettled two-season spell at Paris St Germain.

Barca's first choice signing David Beckham had snubbed a move to the Nou Camp, choosing instead to make the switch to the more fashionable Real Madrid.

Ronaldinho, welcomed by close to 30,000 fans on the day of his presentation, almost single-handedly restored Barca's shattered morale after four years of under-achievement.

CHILDLIKE ENTHUSIASM

Although the burden of expectation on his young shoulders was immense, Ronaldinho made light of the responsibility and never lost his almost childlike enthusiasm for the game.

Mesmerising step-overs, spectacular free kicks and defence-splitting passes were typical of Ronaldinho's contributions to Barcelona's season.

He inspired the team to a 17-match unbeaten run that lifted them to a second-place finish in the Primera Liga, their best placing in four years.

His presence at Barca helped convince Deco, Henrik Larsson, Samuel Eto'o, Edmilson and Juliano Belletti that the Nou Camp was the place to be.

After a slow start to his second campaign, he was soon back to his best.

He scored a stunning last-gasp winner in the 2-1 Champions League victory over AC Milan in November and then masterminded Barca's sparkling display of fluent, attacking football when they outclassed Real Madrid 3-0 at home.

Fifteen minutes of defensive madness meant the club were eliminated in the first knockout round of the Champions League by Chelsea, but no-one will forget Ronaldinho's phenomenal goal in the second leg at Stamford Bridge.

Hypnotising the entire Chelsea defence with a samba-style swivel of the hips, he toe-poked the ball past Peter Cech from the edge of the area before the keeper knew what was happening.

Barcelona made up for that disappointment when they eased to their first league title in six years with Ronaldinho and leading scorer Eto'o the heroes of the season.

TITLE CELEBRATION

The biggest cheer of the club's celebration party came when the Brazilian sprinted out on to the pitch wearing a giant glove in the shape of his trademark thumb and little finger wave.

Little wonder then that Barca moved quickly to tie him to a new contract that would keep him in Catalunya until 2010.

While the rest of the Barcelona squad took a well-earned holiday, Ronaldinho reported for international duty.

He inspired Brazil to victory in the Confederations Cup in June, earning himself the man-of-the-match award after masterminding a 4-1 win over Argentina in the final.

Like so many Brazilian internationals Ronaldinho has followed a well-trodden route from favela to football pitch.

Born into a family with a strong footballing tradition, Ronaldinho first hit the headlines when he top-scored for Brazil in their victory in the Under-17 world championship in 1997.

He helped the full Brazil side win the 1999 Copa America, notching six goals including a stunning individual effort against Venezuela, and was part of the team that won the 2002 World Cup.

He was instrumental in the 2-1 victory over England in the quarter-finals, scoring their second with a spectacular 30-metre free kick before being sent off, and returned from a one-match ban to play in the 2-0 victory over Germany in the final.