Farewell, R10, it’s been a good run (well, not fully)

By: Kevin | July 15th, 2008

It is official. The end of an era of sorts for FC Barcelona. Reads the beginning of the statement by the club:

AC Milan and Barcelona have reached an agreement in principle over the transfer of Ronaldinho to the Italian club. The Brazilian will take a medical examination on Wednesday in Milan. And let the record show that somebody is pretty excited about it.

What made the deal actually and for-real possible was Ronaldinho’s renouncing his 15% cut of the deal, which is for 21 million Euros, plus another 4 million should Milan qualify for Champions League, something that is pretty much in the “Duh!” category, even if he does a repeat of this season past, which I don’t expect.

As Txiki said, “The player will always decide where he wants to play. We can have 40 different offers but in the end, what counts is the player’s own desire.”

We were grownups about this one, as befits our gratitude to Ronaldinho. We could have dug our heels in and forced Milan to match or come closer to the 32 million offered by Citeh. We’ve all seen it recently with Hernanes, Arshavin and Adebayor. Glad we chose to man up and do the right thing.

Fiscally, the deal makes perfect sense for AC Milan, and for us. They will get his transfer fee back in shirt sales in about 10 seconds. Right now, number 10 is being worn by Clarence Seedorf. Hmmm. Wonder how those negotiations are going? Seedorf, back when this started, was on the record as saying that R10 wouldn’t be at AC Milan, since he was S10. Stay tuned for that one.

Now, this gives AC Milan an attacking force of Kaka, whose life should become easier if Ronaldinho wants to play. Inzaghi will get new life, and Pato is going to go hog wild. If he actually shows up ready and interested, AC Milan will be the favorites for the title, particularly now that they have dumped Ronaldo and his dead weight.

So what the heck happened?

This saga began, really, with introduction of a sterner, more controlled locker room. No partying, no gallivanting, etc. The players weren’t into it, Rijkaard didn’t seem to be into it, saying in effect, with a wink and a nod, that boys will be boys.

Then came the “black sheep” allegations from Edmilson, saying “Within our group of players and coaches, we have formed a family. And many times in a family there are black sheep.”

It was clear to all that Ronaldinho was the sheep in question, and it seemed that from there, things went swiftly downhill. He was injured. No, he wasn’t, he was just benched. He’ll play. No, he won’t. He wants to play, but Rijkaard won’t let me. And on and on. Rijkaard’s loose locker room seemed to bite him in the butt at the wrong time, and Ronaldinho just wasn’t the same.

So an era has ended.

FIFA Player of the Year most recently in 2004 AND 2005, accolades and joy galore.

There is so much to remember him by. Most recently, the brilliant bicycle kick goal against Atletico Madrid that made the top of ESPN’s “Plays of the Week,” the rarest of the rare occurrences for football. And it took a play by the rarest of rare players to make that cut.

The free kick that went under the Werder Bremen wall.

The shimmy goal against Chelsea.

How he turned the Evil Empire on its ear and recieved a standing ovation at the Bernabeu in a 3-0 thrashing that we delivered to them at their home.

He has been great for us. Two league titles, two Copa titles, one Champions League title, and play after play after play that featured brilliance and the sheer joy of playing the game. The smile was omnipresent, a childlike glee at things that he seemed to be just discovering that he could do.

If that Ronaldinho were still here, I would be lamenting this transfer. But as it is, I am happy to have it happen, for us and for him. He wasn’t happy with us, as we weren’t happy with him. The price that we got for him, while far below the 32 million offered by Manchester City, was in accordance with the player’s wishes. It was an act of class and style, as befits the service that he brought to us.

Simply put, as an icon, he is irreplacable. At his best, he was far and away the best player on the planet, able to beat three defenders or somehow tie the ball to his foot, ready to hit an in-stride teammate with a perfect pass.

But that Ronaldinho is, for us, long gone.

So farewell, you Wascally Bwazilian. I wish you well until AC Milan faces us in Champions League, then know that Yaya is going to put the boot in, and leave it in until Puyol comes to finish you off. And I am going to laugh.