“Tomorrow I take leave of this club and this crowd. The history, the respect and admiration will be forever! See you later!” -Ronaldinho (Translated from Twitter)
Let’s get it out of the way upfront: I have absolutely no idea where
Ronaldinho
is headed. He’s apparently hired Lebron James’ 2010 PR team, and also perhaps the CIA, to handle his transfer.
Said transfer will be of the free variety, as his current club Atletico Mineiro of the Brazilian league announced today that they have formally parted ways
with the former Brazilian international. Coach Levir Culpi was quoted as saying:
"“I can’t call on Ronaldinho anymore, his cycle with us has ended. It’s unfortunate because he’s an idol to all of us. Everyone loves his football, the way he plays and he’s a very charismatic person. But that’s the way it goes. He’s leaving and we must move on without him.”"
As for rumored destinations, I’m honestly not sure we have the bandwidth to handle the sheer amount of text listing them would require. Boca Juniors in Argentina was in, but now they’re out. Fluminense has apparently shown interest, along with Turkish side Besiktas, and apparently other middle-eastern suitors.
Of course, what has American fans excited is the purported interest of every single MLS team. MLS actually seems more plausible than any of the above squads. The Galaxy have shown interest in the past, but with no Designated Player spots open they seem an unlikely destination. 2015 newcomer Orlando City SC were front-runners last week, but that hype seems to have died down. Both NYCFC and NYRB seem to be in the mix as well, and a twitter campaign from Columbus Crew supporters this morning provided one of the sillier moments.
PSG Post
Don’t look know, but within that last 24 hours, newly promoted EPL side Queens Park Rangers have entered the fray, offering Ronaldinho a chance to play alongside fellow Brazilian Julio Cesar. The opportunity to play a few more years in a top-flight league has to be enticing as well.
From an American standpoint, can Ronaldinho still contribute to an MLS side? Of course. He’s 34 now, but his brother/agent says he plans on playing for “8 more years”, so there’s that!
The concern is of course that he is truly looking for a “retirement league”. Unlike players like Henry or Lampard who are seen as consummate professionals, Ronaldinho has had club issues in the past (see: Flamengo), and he’s known for being a bit of a partier.
He would be a great fit for the New York Red Bulls, though the homer in me hopes to see him end up in Orlando. Of course, an offer from QPR might be hard to pass up. We should know at some point today.