His form suffered in the 2005 season, however, after his mother, Marina da Silva Souza, was kidnapped by gunmen at her Praia Grande home on 6 November; she was released unharmed six weeks later after a ransom was paid.

[10] Robinho scored nine goals in 12 league games, and his value continued to increase as his talent became more and more apparent to the powers of European football.

In July 2005, Spanish giants Real Madrid signed Robinho by agreeing to pay a fee equal to 60% of the buyout clause in his contract belonging to Santos (€24 million).

Only after the winter break did Robinho find himself in the starting XI, later playing a crucial role as Real Madrid won their 30th La Liga title that year.

[citation needed] Capello was subsequently fired, however, and Bernd Schuster was appointed as head coach of Real Madrid.

[14] That game kept a resurgent Barcelona at bay and ultimately secured Real Madrid's 31st league title and Robinho's fourth.

[citation needed] Real Madrid president Ramón Calderón had promised to negotiate a new contract with Robinho at the midpoint of the 2007–08 season, which never materialised.

[15][16] After the failed move for Ronaldo, Madrid finally attempted to negotiate a new contract with Robinho, which he rejected and led to him pursuing a transfer to Chelsea.

[17] On 1 September 2008, the final day of the Premier League summer transfer window, Robinho completed a €41–42 million (£32.5M) move to Manchester City on a four-year deal.

[23] On 27 August, Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon said that the club were "confident" that the transaction would go through,[24] and Madrid had also given their consent for the player to leave.

[25] In an interview with The Guardian, Robinho stated that Manchester City being a big club and the presence of Brazilian friends Jô and Elano were incentives for him to join the team.

[citation needed] On 28 January 2010, Robinho returned to his home club Santos due to moving down the pecking order at Manchester City, joining them on a six-month loan deal.

[29] On his return to Santos, Robinho scored a backheel against aforementioned admirers São Paulo with five minutes to spare to complete a 2–1 victory for the Peixe.

[37] Robinho was close to signing with old club Santos in both January 2013 and July 2013, but the move fell through on both occasions due to the player's wage demands.

[citation needed] Robinho suffered a groin strain early in the pre-season against Valencia on 27 July 2013, which disrupted his preparation for the upcoming season.

[40] On 22 October, Robinho scored the opening goal in the 2013–14 Champions League match against Group H favourites Barcelona, from a pass by his compatriot Kaká.

[43] In February, an injury of his left thigh prevented him from playing in the first leg of the Champions League first knockout round against Atlético Madrid.

[citation needed] On 6 August 2014, Robinho arrived in São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport and subsequently returned to Santos in a one-year loan deal.

[48] Robinho scored his first goal after his return four days later, netting the first and assisting Rildo in a 2–0 home success over Londrina in the Copa do Brasil championship.

[50] On 16 July 2015, Robinho signed a six-month contract with Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao, managed by compatriot Luiz Felipe Scolari[51] and linking up with his international teammate Paulinho.

[67] Robinho's first cap with the full Brazil team came on 4 September 2004, as a 74th-minute substitute for Edu in a 3–1 home win over Bolivia in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification.

[citation needed] In the absence of Brazil's World Cup forwards, Robinho was a regular starter for the team at the 2007 Copa América a year later.

In the ninth minute, Robinho sent in the corner from which Thiago Silva volleyed Brazil into the lead in an eventual 2–1 victory which sent them into the quarter-finals as group winners.

[85] Eighteen months after his 99th game, Robinho won his 100th international cap on 25 January 2017 in a 1–0 win against Colombia at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

[86] A quick, creative, agile and technically gifted player, Robinho is mainly known for his flair, ball control, attacking instinct and dribbling skills, as well as his use of tricks and feints, such as the step over and the flip flap, due to his quick feet; his precocious performances and ability on the ball drew comparisons with compatriot Pelé in his youth.

[105] On 23 November 2017, an Italian court sentenced Robinho to nine years in prison after he and five other males were convicted of sexual assault in the January 2013 gang rape of a 22-year-old Albanian woman at a Milan nightclub.

[109] The Milan Court of Appeals found that Robinho had "belittled" and "brutally humiliated" the victim, while he also tried to mislead investigators from the onset by providing a false version of events he had agreed upon with his friend.

[114][115] On 24 February 2023, Brazil's Superior Court of Justice (STJ) subpoenaed Robinho and Falco and on 27 March Brazilian prosecutors agreed with the Italian government request.

[120] In February 2024, the Court scheduled for 20 March the ruling on Italy's government appeal to have the original sentence execute in Brazil.

[122] Santos[131] Real Madrid AC Milan Guangzhou Evergrande Atlético Mineiro İstanbul Başakşehir Brazil[131] Individual