Ronaldinho's football skills began to blossom at the age of 8, and he was first given the nickname Ronaldinho because he was often the youngest and the smallest player in youth club matches.[7] He developed an interest in futsal and beach football, which later expanded to organized football. His first brush with the media came at the age of thirteen, when he scored all 23 goals in a 23–0 victory against a local team.[9] Ronaldinho was identified as a rising star at the 1997 U-17 World Championship in Egypt, in which he scored two goals on penalty kicks.