Son, nephew and brother of footballers. The best known was his older brother Roberto de Assis, who played in Brazil, Switzerland, Portugal and France, and later became his agent. Nicknamed "Ronnie" or "Dinho" he is one of the few Barça players to have been applauded at the Santiago Bernabéu. He is considered the great architect of Barça's footballing resurgence at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
