Happy birthday, Ronaldinho Gaucho.

Today, the man who changed the course of FC Barcelona's history upon his arrival at the club over 17 years ago turns 41.

The Blaugrana signed the Brazilian maverick from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2003 and he quickly established himself as the best footballer on the planet.

Ronaldinho lit up La Liga from the moment he arrived and by the end of his second season in Spain, Barcelona were a completely different team to the one he had first joined.

The Catalan side won their first league title for six years in 2004/05, before securing a league and Champions League double the following campaign.

Would any of that have been possible without Ronaldinho? Absolutely not. The man was a footballer unlike any other, one who combined outrageous flair with end product.

Ronaldinho with the CL trophy

No defender was safe against the Brazilian, regardless of whether they were heralded as a world-class operator.

Just ask Sergio Ramos...

The Real Madrid captain was far younger when he came up against Ronaldinho, but was still revered as a top-class defender.

However, no one told Ronaldinho, because with both Barcelona and AC Milan, he used Ramos like a 'practice cone' out on the pitch, as you can see for yourself in the brilliant video below.

Ronaldinho vs Ramos

"Ronaldinho walked around Ramos the whole game like he was a practice cone," one fan humorously replied in the comments.

It really is true, though, as poor ol' Sergio simply had no idea how to stop Ronaldinho and his magic feet.

Arguably the finest performance of the Brazilian's glittering career came against Ramos' Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in November 2005.

That night, Ronaldinho took his game to another level, humiliating Los Blancos' defence time and time again.

He scored twice in a 3-0 win for Barcelona and the mercurial forward's display was so good that he received a standing ovation from the Real Madrid fans in the stadium.

Ronaldinho in action

As any football fan will know, that's not something that happens on a regular basis.

Even the great Lionel Messi, who's dropped many a masterclass at the Bernabeu in his Barcelona career, has not received the prestigious honour of being applauded by Real Madrid supporters.

But Ronaldinho was just different and it's why he will always have a special place in the hearts of football fans around the world.