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RAPTUROUS WELCOME: Ronaldinho posing with a fan after leaving Milan's training centre following his medical examination yesterday. He was greeted by some 4,000 screaming fans at the complex in Carnago, northern Milan. -- PHOTO: AFP
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MILAN - BARCELONA have finally offloaded Ronaldinho.
The Brazilian playmaker was set to sign for AC Milan yesterday for just 21 million euros (S$45 million). The price will rise by an additional 4 million euros if the Italian club clinch a place in the 2009-2010 Champions League.
Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport said that Milan will pay Ronaldinho 6.5 million euros a season. His contract is till June 30, 2011.
'I really wanted to come to Milan. A lot of things happened and, at the end, I became Rossonero (red-black),' Ronaldinho told Milan's TV station yesterday, upon arriving in the city.
'I'm happy to be here and I hope I can provide a lot of joy to Milan's fans.
'It's great to find so many Brazilians and also so many other champions wearing the Milan jersey.'
The player may be happy, but how Barca must be kicking themselves. For rarely has a football club made such a mess of selling their greatest asset, said The Guardian.
Only a year ago, the Spanish giants turned down Milan's 60million euro offer for the same player, claiming it was 'inadequate'.
In fact, so bad was Barca's strategy that, at one time, there was only one other real suitor for the two-time World Player of the Year. That was Manchester City, an English club that had not won anything since 1976, who bid 32 million euros.
It is perhaps understandable why Barcelona were determined to get rid of Ronaldinho, added The Guardian. He was involved in a running spat with striker Samuel Eto'o, who criticised him for his frequent absences at training sessions. His lack of discipline also became a focus of dressing-room conflict.
But the problem was not that Barcelona wanted him out; it was that their desire became so public. It was the club that leaked stories of his partying ways.
They even went to the extent of revealing that he no longer sold as many jerseys as he once did - a sign of declining popularity among supporters.
And once new coach Pep Guardiola revealed that the Brazilian was surplus to requirements, Ronaldinho's market value plummeted. The message sent out to the footballing world: Never mind the money, we want him out.
The player could yet have the last laugh, as he joins Kaka, the World Player of the Year, and rising star Alexandre Pato in an all-Brazilian attack that any club would envy.
Milan, who will play in the second-tier Uefa Cup this season, are counting on a swift return to the top level of European football.
The Rossoneri won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007, and lost the 2005 final to Liverpool.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti said: 'Ronaldinho brings a lot of enthusiasm and enthusiasm is just the ingredient we need to start the season well.
'A few years ago, he was considered the best player in the world. Here at Milan, he'll find the right environment to get back to that level.'
Ronaldinho scored 91 goals in 200 appearances in five seasons at Barcelona. He helped lead the club to Primera Liga titles in 2005 and 2006, and the Champions League trophy in 2006.
ASSOCIATED PRESS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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