Time for Ronaldinho to leave Barcelona, but where will he go?

To the surprise of nobody, Barcelona has admitted that it is time for Ronaldinho to go.

But where will he go?

You have to admit that it seems a bit strange for Barca president Joan LaPorta to publicly admit that Ronaldinho needs to leave when the club is still trying to sell him at an astronomical price.

What clubs are in the mix realistically? AC Milan appears to have been scared off and we haven't heard much from Chelsea after the Blues were linked to Ronaldinho last year. Who is left? Manchester City? MLS?

Where do you see Ronaldinho going? More importantly, what club would you like to see him go to?

Comments

[Shmartelli]

I know it is pipe dream, but D.C. could use a push, eh? But, how do they get around the DP. Did I see recently that Emilio is now using their second DP slot?

[jgildea]

DC is not going to get Ronaldinho.
But they would sell Emilio to open up the required cap space, international spot and DP spot in one move.

[Mighty]

There is no way he is coming to MLS!!!
One day we will spot making this Rumors up!

[kahlva]

Ronaldinho as NY's second DP in 2009!

Had to start it, since lots will say it... :)

[Steve T.]

Wasnt JPA's contract a two year deal? Once it expires, I'm sure RBNY will do the prudent thing and bring in Henry and Ronaldihno. It only makes sense.

[turkey que]

he deserves a year in turkey.

but seriously, he'll wind up at milan or bayern, or something like that. something that is viewed as a sidestep rather than a demotion, though most anything after barca is.

[Knuckles]

Uh...can Sounders FC have him? Please?

[Haig]

Reyna needs to retire, now, and would be replaced by Ronaldinho.

[LJ]

If Ronaldihno and Henry came to NY it would make more sense to stay in Giants Stadium, my god that would be ridiculous. I could see Ronald going to Man City, that makes the most sense to me.

[Homey Boehme]

Considering AC Milan are in the UEFA cup, I don't see any offer from AC Milan being accepted.

No one is going to meet the asking price of 30 million euros. Ronnie is injury prone, and puts partying before football. Plus, Barca have made those facts public and also made it clear they want to get rid of him.

If a team is willing to gamble and Barca accepts a lower price (aka - DP slot for a team in the MLS) then maybe he will go elsewhere. My prediction is that like other brazilians before him, he will return to Brazil to play for his local/boyhood club.

[NYCWatcher]

AC Milan... Kaka, Pato, Ronaldinho! They may allow 5 goals a game, but they'll still outscore opponents!

[RK]

AC Milan could still do it -- Bayern broke the bank last year to make sure they rebounded.

Bringing MLS into this is pointless.

[Brian H]

__

Just in time for him to NOT come to NJ in August.

Boo.

[mike]

A G-14 club. Anything else just sounds silly right now.

[Scott]

The MLS isn't out of the question if they fit him into a Beckham-like deal where most of his compensation came from merchandising etc. rather than salary. He's probably one of the few players like Beckham who could push enough jerseys to make it work. And like Beckham he's an injured player with a bit of an uncertain future. Never say never.

[nathan3e]

Does it not say something that a supremely gifted player is not wanted by a club that imploded this year? Ronaldinho is not exactly noted for his fierce work ethic and he is approaching an age where he will not be able to get by on skill alone against top competition.

[nicholas s.]

Spurs.

[Lance]

He'll never come to MLS until they are no longer an Adidas only league. He's too big of a star for Nike to be dressed in Adidas uniforms.

[Dominghosa]

MLS won't pony up for the transfer fee. So MLS right now isn't a viable option.
He's going to Inter.

[Dave]

He SHOULD go to Tottenham Hotspur, because Juande Ramos and his endocrinology dept. might be the only thing that could whip Ronnie back into shape.

But that won't happen, so I think he'll end up in Italy. We haven't heard the last from AC Milan on Ronnie.

[JB]

One of those wealthy Eastern European clubs that like to waste money-Shakhtar, Dynamo Moscow, Zenit, Steaua Bucharest. I would hope Chelsea have learned from the Shevchenko debacle about spending huge amounts on players on the downside of their career, but they probably haven't. The only Western Hemisphere teams with the wealth to do it are Club America and Boca Juniors.

[Kev]

Lance...you have to be kidding me. There is no comparing Landon Donovan's fame globally with Ronnie's. But he's as big as it gets in America and guess who sponsors him? And many other popular current and former players in the league? And yet Nike "lets" them play for the league that pays their salaries. Are you so naive as to think a sponsor can tell a player what to do? All Ronaldinho has to do is threaten to sign for Adidas or PUMA and Nike will be kissing his boots again.

Having said that, he won't come to MLS now regardless, even though it's fun to dream. He'll get a massive payday in one of the "big three" leagues.

[DMee]

I realize that some people are saying he will/should come to the MLS as a joke. But those who think that there's any chance he's in the MLS next year are completely insane and need to have their respective heads examined. Please think before you post.

[Brian Garrison]

Manchester United.

I could see him going to Inter as well. Maybe, maybe Arsenal if they have the cash.

[steve]

i may not like them, but i think he may end up at Liverpool. He could be the player to get them over the edge and they really need to improve.

[Seisco]

I'm still convinced Roman's money bags will lure him to Chelsea.

[THE Nick]

Easy answer...

If Ronaldinho is after a career change and a challenge, and wants to take a risk, but prove to the world that he is one of the greatest ever, he goes to Italy to play in Serie A. There, he'll either be shut down and schooled by the Italian defenses and tactics, or, like Zidane, he'll prove he is among the best to ever play.

Or, if he wants to continue to party, make money, earn endorsements and fans, he can go to that joke league in England where defenses will give him 30 yeards of space everytime he has the ball and he can say he is the best, but will never be able to prove it.

[Keith G.]

Im going to say that he should go to the EPL, and I see it being Chelsea trying to overload their midfield even more. If Lampard does leave then they without a doubt make a major offer.

I would love to see him come to the MLS, and I wouldnt care where he went to, just as long as he was in the league, bringing more fans and more moeny. If he came to the league then the MLS could deffently raise the cap, just cuz of the money brough into the league by him and Beckham. Yes I would love to see him replace Reyna, and be a huge star in NY, but I just dont see it happining, atleast not now.

I will say that I think Arsenal should go for him, but I am going to say he goes to either, 1-AC Milan, 2- Chelsea, 3- Real Madrid (just inspite of Barca)

[Danny]

MLS will get Ronaldinho. It absolutely will happen. Mark it down.

The only problem is they'll get him for way too much when he turns 35 and can't play in Europe anymore.

Next year he'll be playing in Italy at AC Milan or Inter (they don't have Ronaldo anymore right?).

MLS will get him though... just not yet.

[j1m]

I may be the only one that thinks a move to the English league would be a big mistake for him. He'd spend most of the time in the hospital.

I see him in Italy or Spain.

[Sandro]

Why doesn't Barca start a team in the MLS for Ronaldhino. Hey wishful thinking here.

[Rich Gooner]

Ronaldinho will not be going to Arsenal. Wenger doesn't sign players of that age, unless it's a keeper, and still, that's rare. I'd say an Italian club or City.

[RK]

You won't see Ronaldinho in Spain unless his new team is traveling there.

[Le Diable]

I say back to PSG , he needs them and they need him!

[Chris]

As a Barca fan I will be sad to see him go, having lived in the city and watched him light up teams and fans in 04/05 and 05/06. My guess is Barca accepts the lower offer of 25 million from Milan, as their crazy witchdoctors seem to have the ability to extend player's careers (see Cafu, Seedorf, mmmmm Maldini maybe?).

[Steve]

Screw Ronaldhino to Red Bulls, we already got Reyna!!!

[VictorM]

Unless something drastic happens to change Ronaldinho's work ethic, his better days are well behind him. Sure, some big team might sign him for marketing reasons, but I can't see the Ronaldinho of late being able to help any top club.

But oh I'd love to be proven wrong. A determined Ronaldinho could still be a force to reckon with, I just don't see it happening.

He just turned 28, so it's not like he's too old. Back in form, he can still play 6 years of top flight football. I just don't see it happening. He just doesn't seem hungry enough.

He's not a good fit for the Red Bulls. We like our midfielders older, injury prone, or clubhouse cancers. :-p

[Adam M]

How about he stays at Barca? For all of this talk about him leaving, its a plain fact that would-be suitors have not been willing to pay Barca's price and Barca, at least till now, has been unwilling to lower it. With Frank out and if Eto'o and Deco leave, then Ronnie's chief frenenemies are gone. It all still feels a bit like a negotiating ploy. A UEFA Cup-bound Milan seems out of the running now, even without the Nike issue. Inter is arguably overcrowded and ManU probably won't splash. Arsenal seems like a good choice if they want to inject some age into their young, post-Flamini lineup and Ronnie fits their style. But I can't see him going to a UEFA Cup team, much less a non-Europe team. Unless the Red Bulls give him the bank. Then Jozy might stick around...

[Brant]

Bayern? Would Bayern want him?

I know Man City has the money, but does he want to play UEFA Cup football, or Champions League? I would expect him to go somewhere they're playing in the Champions League, so maybe somewhere in Italy (Roma?) or England (Chelsea?) but I doubt he'll go to Spurs or Man City.

[Graeme]

Just because talks have stalled with AC Milan does not mean that he won't end up going there. The difference is only 5 million Euros (I know... only) so it's talkable. If the talks do eventually break down completely, he'll probably go to Chelsea.

As for MLS? Unlikely. As said above, it won't happen with the league being Adidas-only.

[Leonardo Rabelo]

I won't even bother to read the comments posted here... Ronaldinho in MLS? Please...get serious!

[Dr. Rockzo, The Rock N' Roll Clown]

Hearts.

[Dr. Rockzo, The Rock N' Roll Clown]

Hearts.

[Ryan B.]

I think Barca should essentially "trade" Ronaldinho and Eto'o to Spurs for Berbatov. :)

[Geoff]

I'd like Liverpool to go after him. The owners want to make the fans happy after all the distortion going on in the boardroom then they should look at Ronaldinho. I know money wise he will cost both in transfer fee and wages but Hicks can show the fans he's serious on making this team the best in England by going after him. He's also played at Anfield in the Champions League before and knows the atmosphere on a European night. The fans will also be great to him and support him if he's having a bad spell unlike the Barcelona fans waving their white towels.

[joejoejoe]

If it's Phil Scolari at Man City to replace Sven, Ronaldinho makes a lot of sense. Thaksin has a marketing goals for Manchester City in Asia similar to the LA Galaxy so it makes business sense to go after Ronaldinho on that front too.

[joejoejoe]

If it's Phil Scolari at Man City to replace Sven, Ronaldinho makes a lot of sense. Thaksin has a marketing goals for Manchester City in Asia similar to the LA Galaxy so it makes business sense to go after Ronaldinho on that front too.

[Chewy Unikronik]

joejoejoe...

only need to say it once, bro...

[David Raether]

The only convincing argument I read here AGAINST Ronaldinho coming to the MLS is the adidas argument (an adidas league, he's Nike's biggest endorsement).

On the other hand, despite that, why wouldn't the MLS make it happen?

As much as people outside the league pooh-pooh Beckham's arrival, it has dramatically impacted the league financially.

A Sunday afternoon game in May in Dallas gets a sell-out? That doesn't happen without David Beckham.

The league will make sure he goes to NYRB. That club has been sputtering for years, but they are finally now getting their own stadium.

And to insure that it's sold-out for the next five years (and every other stadium that hosts NYRB is sold-out), the league brings in Ronaldinho. Give him a $6 million a year base, merchandising rights and a cut of the gate, and voila -- $250 million for Ronaldinho as well.

Plus, NY would love a celebrity like him.

[Adam M]

Whether Ronny would come to MLS if presented with the massive sum surely required to bring him over entirely depends on whether he has a desire to play in the next World Cup. Dunga already seems disinclined to use him, and MLS will seal that fate. More likely is that Ronny, and a host of other big names who won't have future Cup ambitions, come over after 2010. MLS should be doing everything humanly possible to make this their goal.