Brazilian Footballers and '-Inho'/'-Inha' Names

Why do so many Brazilian soccer players' names end in 'inho'? Has your Brazilian significant other ever tried calling you 'Anninha', 'Johnzinho' or 'amorzinho', and you didn't know what that was all about? 

The suffixes 'inho' (masculine) and 'inha' (feminine) are the diminutive form of nouns and adjectives. They're used to indicate that something is small, but we also use them as terms of endearment. So a small house becomes a 'casinha', a nice little doggie is a 'cachorrinho', and we refer to a loveable, cute person as 'fofinha'. 

So what's the story with Ronaldinho (both of them), Fabinho, Debinha, Marquinhos and all the 'inhos' and 'inhas' in Brazilian sports? As previously mentioned, 'inho', when combined with a person's name, is generally used to address someone in an affectionate way. Since football plays a huge part in Brazilian culture, some of its players become true national heroes, earning all the love and admiration - but also some harsh criticism when things go wrong - that go along with it. Also, many football players start their professional careers at a very young age, so someone like Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, who was 17 at his first World Cup in 1994, can quickly become Ronaldinho - until the next little Ronaldo comes along.