Ronaldinho’s new challenge: Milan, Juventus or Manchester City?
This Ronaldinho saga reminds me of the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy was swept away in a fierce wind. Similarly, Ronaldhino looks to be on his way in a whirlwind of transfers out of Barcelona.
Once the world’s best player, he must now re-invent himself at a new club. Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, admitted that it was the end of an era last night on Spanish television. He also said that it is time for Ronaldinho to move on to a new club, but he should be treated like a hero for his contributions to the Catalan giants:
‘He (Ronaldinho) needs a new challenge. When a cycle finishes it is normal that the most emblematic pieces also come to an end,’ ‘I would like Ronaldinho to be given a great send-off so that he is remembered for all he has given us and that if he didn’t do any more it was because the circumstances wouldn’t allow it.’
Joan Laporta admits that Ronaldinho will be in a new uniform next year. The real question is, what uniform? Here’s where he could end up:
Milan
It would be poetic for Ronaldinho to go to Milan and partner his Brazilian compatriot. He would presumably play alongside Kaka, and run the offense in an attacking midfield position. It would be great for Ronaldhino to reinvent himself under the bright lights of the San Siro. Italy is a league that would also suit his style of play. He likes to carry the ball and make moves, and that is far more common in Italy than it is in England (another possible destination for him). At this point, it looks like Milan might be out of the question, as Barcelona may require too much money for the Brazilian’s services. ·
Gianluigi Buffon has already made up his mind on this matter. He thinks “Ronaldinho would be the dream of any player or supporter,” and Juventus is also looking to strengthen their squad for a deep Champions League run next year. The squad finished in a strong third place in Serie A this year, after a year in Serie B. Is Juventus as serious a buyer as Milan is at this point? No, but if Ronaldinho doesn’t move to Milan, they might become one of his main suitors. Juventus missed out on Mathieu Flamini, the French midfielder, and would be unwise to miss out on Ronaldinho as well. ·
Nothing would be better for Manchester City than splashing cash for Ronaldinho. A superstar would immediately raise the pedigree of the club and its media exposure, as well. Thaksin Shinawatra is an ambitious man and his pockets are deep. If Sven Goran Eriksson is sacked, and Scolari is hired, this could be a very likely destination. Luiz Felipe Scolari, the coach of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup winning squad, would love to be re-united with his old player.
If City decide to keep Sven Goran Eriksson the move might not benefit Ronaldinho. There is plenty of turmoil at the club, and much of that is due to the confrontation between the fans, the owner, and the manager. If Ronaldinho had to choose where to go today, it would not be in his best interest to go to City. That said, the lure of the EPL, and the possibility of re-uniting with a former coach, could be too difficult to resist.
The only thing we really know right now is that Ronaldinho will be leaving the Camp Nou this summer. Where will he go? We should find out soon enough. If I had to make a guess, it would be Milan, but who knows?
I can make one prediction, and that is that Ronaldinho will do great things for whichever club he goes to. His loss of form at Barcelona had more to do with the situation at the club than with any real loss of ability.
What do you guys think? Where will Ronaldinho end up, and how will he do at his new club?
Also see: What would you pay for Ronaldinho?.
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I’m not sure how that gay argument came about but anyway… One thing is for sure, there is absolutely no way Dihno will go to Manchester City. He still has many years of top level football left in him and is not looking to retire, so there is no way he would go to the EPL and worse Manchester City. From what I have seen since Juve has returned to the Seria A is that they don’t seem to have plenty of money to spend and as so they look to buy wisely. The players they have brought in are either relatively cheap or free as such a move for Dihno at this moment is absolutely out of the question. The truth is that both Milan and Barca are playing a cat and mouse game. Barca wants to hold out for as much as they can get and Milan doesn’t want to pay full price for an unsettled player. He will either move to Milan (the most likely solution) or retain with Barca.
Well, let’s see. Ronaldinho now sucks, his agent is a retard - never really supports his client in the media. The problem here is that Brazil (esp nat’l team) players peak early. They have played so much football, earned enough money, and graced so many pitches across the world in the sports biggest events that they are essentially washed up by their mid-20’s. Next stop for ‘dinho’ - oblivion.
(JUST KIDDING HE’S GONE TO SHAKTAR!!!, BRING LONG JOHNS SON).
Ronaldinho to City?????
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
Joke of 2008!!!
A club like City has to multiply its reputation by 3 in order to attract such a player.
To be honest the thought of Ronaldinho coming to Manchester City excited me for a while until the novelty worn off. Although the guy has got undoubted class, I’d sooner look at improving other positions.
Andriy Arshavin from Zenit would be a good buy & another forward should be our next move.
Max, you keep saying that but I think you are missing the big picture. Regardless of the money on offer a move to Man City would be a huge step down. He is still relatively young so there is no way he is going to do that. Pep, u should try ur hardest to convice city to buy Arshavin, he looks like a really good playmaker.
I don’t want Roni at Juventus. What we need is hard working midfielders like Camoranesi. Our next move should be Hatem Ben Arfa from Lyon, Stefan Kiessling from Bayer Leverkusen, Blaise N’Kufo from Twente, Amauri from Palermo, Ricardo Quaresma of Porto, Klaas Jan Huntelaar of Ajax, or Rafael van der Vaart of Hamburg SV. Van der Vaart is already coming in the summer along with Mellberg and another Swedish player (a youngster, don’t remember his name) and Juve have first option on Huntelaar. Also, the Amauri deal seems almost done, as Juve is winning the fight to get him.
RONY AT MILAN, THATS ALL IM SAYIN!!ENGLAND STYLE OF PLAY IS TOO SLOW FOR HIM!!EITHER HE GOES TO MADRID OR GOES TO MILAN!I GUESS WE DONT WANT A CLUB WITH THE BIGGEST TILL TO HAVE HIM, BUT A LEAGUE THAT’LL FIT HIS STYLE OF PLAY!!
the premier league is too good for him atm, milan would be the best as he can play alongside kaka…
think of that combination up front 4 milan… kaka, ronaldinho and pato…. i think milan will piss gillardino off this summer so the milan team next year will be pretty good
although.. ac milan are in a crisis atm so is it really that smart if they were 2 buy a player that is having a personal lack of form crisis… it will either push ronaldinho 2 hit form again or he will just get worse under poor management… it could be the stupidest move of all time… worse than shev 2 chelsea lol
I actually think Ronaldinho is the ideal player for Juventus. We need someone to thake charge of the ball and make plays, and that is exactly what he does.
Juve needa s creaive player to compliment Del Piero’s style and someone that can distract the oposition and find players to set up for goal scoreing opportunities. Not to mention he can also create his own opportunites and make great mid-range shots.
Talking negative on Ronaldinho, is not encouraging. He is still a very talented player and can still perform, if giving him the chance.
2008 maybe is not his, who knows what can happen next year.
God knows.