What is going on with Ronaldinho?

By: Rob | April 5th, 2008

Ronaldinho in happier times? A few years ago there was little doubt as to who the most exciting footballer in the world was: Ronaldinho. The last couple of years have not been as happy for the smiley Brazilian, with rumours of fall-outs, weight gain and poor performance - its perfectly possible none is true. A couple of days ago, news came through that after a myserious injury - which was assumed in Spain to be code for falling-out-with-Rijkaard that he was returning. Two days later and news is coming through that The Dhino (as i affectionaly call him) limped out of training and will be out for six weeks, i.e the rest of the season. What’s going on?

EDIT: I’ve been beaten to this story by Inara on the front page hopefully my ramble is different enough to warrent its existance!

These are not good times for the man who was once Catalonia’s favourite son. After a dissapointing World Cup, where to be fair he was double-and-triple marked out of games, last season was seen as a dissapointing one by many even though he recorded his best goalscoring record in a Barca shirt (21 Goals in 35 games in the League). The press had a field-day with a photo which seemed to show that The Dhino had put on weight, soon rubished as just a fluke photo. This season though it does seem to have affected him. No longer a guarenteed first teamer with the presence of Thierry Henry and the coming of age of his good friend Leo Messi (not forgetting Eto’o, who has his own Love/Hate relationship with Ronaldinho) in fact, this season, he hasn’t always been selected in the squad, so out of favour is he with Rijkaard. He has managed 8 goals from 17 appearences, not bad from a player often on the wing, but not the kind of standard expected of a two-time Eurpoean and World Footballer of the Year.

There is a myraid of reasons among the whispers and heresay as to why he might be unsettled at Barca, chief among them are two men; Sandro Rossell and Frank Rijkaard. The former is the former-Barca boardmember who was apparently the reason The Dhino chose Barca over Manchester United, and the latter his current manager, who while club president Joan Laporta might deny a falling out, doesn’t appear to have much time for the gifted Brazillian.

While the rumours of his weight gain are comepletely overexagerrated, its difficult to say about his supposed attitude problem and lifestyle choices. While they probably do exist in some form, its difficult to say how much is press-stuff and how much is true. Only a few men will know the absolute truth on that.

He obviously isn’t the most hardworking player in the world, he never has been. But he’s so creative - not always in an obvious assists kinda way, but he keeps the play going and is often a joy to watch. He plays football as you play it in the park, he stops the ball, he takes on his man, and whether he puts it in the top corner or gets tackled by the first man, he smiles. He is, in an era when uber-serious footballers start crying about getting booked, an example of how football should be played.

Its sort of inevitable, whether this injury is an actual injury or not, that this may well be the last game Ronaldinho plays at Camp Nou. The only way I can see him staying - much as he obviously loves the club, he appeared heartbroken at the suggestion earlier in the season, that he might leave - is if Rijkaard is sacked and a new coach comes in and promises him a place in the starting XI. This isn’t that unlikely a scenario, but I think it might be for the fella’s own good to get out of Spain alltogether.

Of course, he isn’t short of serious suitors, from both Milan clubs (particuarly AC) to Chelsea, who’s multi-millionairre owner Roman Abromovich once clamied was the player who made football exciting for him. He also tried to buy The Dhino a few years ago, for a reputed Sixty Million Pounds.

All I can say is that I hope the smile is returned to his face again, he is an absolute joy to watch, and one of the most gifted footballers of his generation. I want to see him at his best again, wherever that is.