As the manager and agent of one of the greatest football players of a generation Roberto de Assis Moreira has earned quite the reputation as a tough negotiator.
He had to be, after all, his client was his younger brother Ronaldinho.
The elder sibling – still only 29 himself at the time – oversaw the young maestro’s controversial move from Gremio in his homeland, leaving the Porto Alegre-based outfit for free, to France and Paris St Germain, before striking a deal to take a then 17-year-old Ronaldinho to Spanish giants Barcelona.
The formidable attacker has also worked with leading major brands including Nike, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, EA Sports and Danone – in 2006, a year after he picked up his only Ballon d’Or, he earned over $19 million from endorsements, more than his wages at Barcelona.
Assis, as he is more commonly known, revealed the strength of his deal-making.
He told Arabian Business: “The secret is understanding why you want my brother. I respect your opinion, but after that I fight for my family. This is key. I always fight for my family.”
Assis, nine years his brother’s senior, was an accomplished footballer himself, making a name for himself at Gremio where he won three titles in a row between 1988 and 1990.
With interest from Brazil’s national team, misfortune befell the attacking midfielder after a serious knee injury saw him sidelined for eight months. Injuries blighted Assis’s career – he received his first operation at the tender age of eight – and would ultimately cut short his playing aspirations before he hit the age of 30.
Still he enjoyed success, winning the Swiss Cup in 1995 with FC Sion, the Portuguese Super Cup in the same year while on loan with Sporting Lisbon, before returning to Switzerland, helping them win another cup and becoming Swiss champions in 1997.
He followed that up with stints in Portugal, Japan, Mexico, and returning to Brazil before finishing his career with Montpellier HSC in France.
It is a more-than-respectable medal haul for a career beset by injury. However, Assis revealed his greatest achievement to date has been watching his brother become a global footballing sensation.
He said: “Afterwards my brother represented my dream because he took it to another level.
“I think the most important thing is my brother is a good man. He started very early in the sport, at seven years old and his life has been sport. Through that he was introduced to the discipline and respect.
“For me, my most beautiful trophy is seeing today my brother is one very good man.”
Assis and Ronaldinho hit the headlines for different reasons last year as they were arrested and spent time in a Paraguayan prison for using fake passports.
While refraining from talking about the episode, Assis admitted the post-football world could be tricky to negotiate.
He said: “After football because you don’t have one programme for one year. You have one crazy life. Before you have one season, you have the whole programme and you need to be focused on the field. My job is for motivation, to put everything in place.”
The brothers were in Dubai recently to promote Teqball, a football-based sport, played on a specially-curved table, which was created in Hungary in 2012.
Assis said: “The concept is fantastic. In the last World Cup there were more than 59 countries taking part. The objective is to have it as an Olympic sport.”
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