I defended the Brazilian magician and maestro of "jugo bonito". After moving to Barça from Paris Saint-Germain, Ronaldinho led the Blaugrana to back-to-back La Liga titles in 2005 and 2006, as well as winning the Champions League in 2006. In 5 years with the club, he made 200 appearances and scored 91 goals, and was voted World Player of the Year twice. In top form, his ball-handling skills are unrivaled and he can do truly impossible things with a soccer ball.
My friend stated that, as good as Ronaldinho was at the time, within 2 years he would go the way of Ronaldo - not Cristiano Ronaldo, for those of you who have only recently started paying attention, but Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima, another Brazilian sorcerer who let his most promising years slip away when he lost form, put on a lot of weight, and was generally ridiculed for not working hard enough to maintain his condition as one of the world's best.
The Prophecy has been fulfilled... After his most disappointing and unproductive season in recent memory, Ronaldinho failed to score more than a handful of goals this year and struggled with injuries for the entire campaign. He put on a lot of weight while injured, and has still not regained form, and has also been greatly criticized in the media for late-night partying and a generally irresponsible attitude towards his commitment to professional football. The 28-year-old was completely outshone on the field by youngsters Lionel Messi and Bojan Krkić, and when new Barça coach Josep Guardiola took the rains after Barcelona's disappointing 3rd-place finish in La Liga and failure to reach the latest stages of the Champions League, he announced that the services of Ronaldinho were no longer required at the Camp Nou. Still, it was hard for most of us to imagine a Barcelona side without Ronaldinho featuring prominently in the lineup.
This wednesday, Barcelona agreed to terms with AC Milan in the Italian Serie A for the sale of Ronaldinho for the sum of US$33.6 million, and an additional US$6.4 million if Milan secure a spot in the 2009-10 Champions League, for a possible total of US$40 million (Barcelona rejected a bid from Manchester City which exceeded US$50 million for the midfielder, possibly because he preferred the Italian team, where he will play alongside his countrymen Kaká and Daniel Pato). Milan will reportedly pay Ronaldinho about US$10.4 million per season for the next three seasons.
Goodbye, Ronaldinho. As a Barça fan, you will certainly be missed, but I wish you luck with your new club, and thanks for all you've done at the Camp Nou. I hope that you will regain form and return to your past glory.
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