To Milan?...or to England?..Where to Ronnie?

Samba boy Ronnie seems to be on his way out of Barcalona as the La Liga season comes to an end and I am not surprised. Ronaldinho is one of the greatest footballers to ever grace the planet. He has achieved almost everything a player can achieve in football. He has won the World Cup, FIFA Player of the year award, Golden Ball Award, La Liga Titles and the ever elusive Champions League Trophy. He won most of these awards playing for Barcalona. It now seems that he has lost the drive to achieve anything further at the club. As a fan of football this is very disappointing news. I can remember Ronaldinho entertaining me with his crazy footwork and fantastic goals always having a boyish smile on his face. One, only has to watch replays of El Classico matches against rivals Real Madrid to see the artist at his best. I used to tell my bestfriend that he seems to take the game in jest and imagine when he decides to take it seriously how much more entertainment he will give.

The last couple seasons I have no longer seen the smile on his face and I wish to see it once more. Internal problems last season between Ronaldinho and Samuel Etoo led to speculations that one of the two was close to leaving. This did not happen and a new season started and as it played out, it became evident that Ronaldinho clearly does not want to remain in Barcalona. Everyone is expecting him to now set his eyes on either Italy or England to face new challenges. In Italy rumour has it that his brother and agent is trying to work out a transfer deal that will bring the Brazilian magician to AC Milan. AC Milan however have not come to an agreement with Barcalona on the transfer fee and thier rivals Inter Milan now feel fit to also attract Ronnie to thier side of the San Siro. In England there is talks about Manchester City or Tottenham looking to use his services.

Lets look at Italy first. If I had a choice in the matter I would love to see Ronnie in an AC Milan shirt. To see an attacking force consisting of a Brazilian trio consisting of Ronaldinho, Kaka and young Pato would be an awe to watch on the club level (We should see this on the International level very soon). It would be like Samba in Milan and a club like Milan that is known for its good reputation with its players should be able to bring out the best in the Brazilian. He would have a new challenge first of winning either the CL or UEFA Cup. He would also play a significant role in bringing the Seria A title back to AC Milan's side of town. Option number two would be to join Inter Milan, a club that seems to scout the best players from top teams and attract them to their grounds to bring in success. Ronnie would follow the footsteps of Viera, Figo and Crespo who made similar moves. Inter has had a couple of successful seasons as leaders of the Seria A and would automatically grant Ronnie placement in the Champions League. My only concern is I dont believe that Inter Milan would suit Ronaldinho's playing style and he may have make adjustments in his game and even position to fit into the squad.

The other two rumoured teams are based in England. Ronnie has already expressed he has no interest in the English game, but one can never tell in where players end up when the transfer window opens. The first team that might acquire his services is Manchester City. A team that has a new owner, a new manager, new players, new finances and new expectations. The team is owned by a former politician from Thailand that is worth billions. The manager is the former manager of the English national team Sven Eriksson. Eriksson over the pass season has spent funds bringing in players such as Elano, Petrov and Castello in hope to create a fast paced team that will compete in the top flight of the Premiereship and win a place in Europe. He was recently in the process of bringing a young Brazilian striker Jo to Manchester in a deal that will be the largest in Man City history. His next target is to bring Ronaldinho to England to bring the team much needed marketability and success in European hopes. If Ronaldinho joins Manchester City I can expect to see him fitting into team contributing precision passes, spot kicks and entertainment. Finally another team rumoured to be interested in the Brazilian is Tottenham.

Tottenham like Manchester City also have great expectations and have brought in a qualified Spanish manager Juande Ramos. Ramos has already won the UEFA Cup twice in Spain with Sevilla. I have no idea if Ronaldinho goes to Tottenham how he will fit in. This is because Ramos is expected to do an extreme house cleaning of the current players in the club and bring in alot of new faces. Ronaldinho will be one of at least 8 players expected to come in. One thing is certain though if Ronaldinho does join Tottenham he will be under the close scrutiny of Ramos. Ramos is already famous in London for his strict "No pies" diet and work out plan. This would not go well with a party boy like Ronnie I would think. It would surely put him in shape to tackle the pace and physical pressure of the BPL. My pick is AC Milan, however where ever the destination is I will be watching.