Ronaldinho Off To Man City?

The future of F.C. Barcelona forward Ronaldinho has come into question in recent weeks after he was told by Barcelona that he could leave at the end of the current La Liga season. In an unexpected turn of events, what was once one of the worlds most highly regarded players is facing a possible move to Manchester City.

After an impressive World Cup campaign in 2002 he joined F.C. Barcelona shortly after they attempted to prize David Beckham away from Old Trafford. At the time Barcelona needed a player who could really take them forward and to the next level, and after losing out on David Beckham Ronaldinho was seen as the next best thing. Irony then played its part as he helped Barcelona to two La Liga titles and to one Champions League title, whereas David Beckham and the ‘Galacticos’ of Real Madrid had to leave it to his last season at the Bernabeu to win a trophy ( La Liga). So why is Ronaldinho constantly being tipped for a switch from a Barcelona football shirt to a Manchester City one? Many would argue that they can not offer him the Champions League football he craves.

On a recent visit to Eastland’s, Ronaldinho’s brother and agent Roberto de Assis Moreira was given the V.I.P treatment by Eriksson and others. City are apparently ready to offer Ronaldinho a £100,000 a week package. This would be far higher than what he currently receives at Barcelona and something Thaksin Shinawatra would want to bring the team to the next level. There is however a lot of speculation that Eriksson will lose his managerial job at Manchester City very soon, so whether this will have a bearing on the proposed transfer move of Ronaldinho we will have to wait to see.

So what are the other options for Ronaldinho after hanging up his football boots at Barcelona? As always the big name – Chelsea will always be in the frame. Here is a team with copious amounts of resource and somewhere where Ronaldinho would fit in. With the attraction of the Premier League and its financial stability, it seems to be the number one choice for the best players in the world to earn a living.

Other European natures still offer competitive transfer players, due to other factors as better weather and a different style of play than what is seen in England and the majority of teams who wear Premier League football shirts. AC Milan is also believed to be interested in acquiring the services of Ronaldinho. He himself has stated a number of times that he would be interested in securing a move to a club that realizes his ambitions and goals as a player.