New Jersey, Saturday, January 08, 2011
Wow! After an exhaustive and fierce battle Flamengo signs Ronaldinho, the terms of the contract is yet to be disclosed to the media but the fact is: RONALDINHO IS OFFICIALY PLAYING FOR FLAMENGO! I'll be honest, I had this one down to Gremio but last night Flamengo made an unexpected move and raised its offer, this morning AC Milan Vice-President Adriano Galliani came to agreements with Flamengo after a meeting with Flamengo's President Patricia Amorin.
At one point Gremio built a platform at their stadium filled with fireworks to announce the signing of the Brazilian star but as the case developed they were forced to remove the platform and retrieve their announcements, frustrating Gremio fans!
Palmeiras desire to sign the player practically came to an end after Ronaldinho started traveling back and forth Porto Alegre and Rio. This indicated that the player had no plans to play for Palmeiras situated in Sao Paulo. Nevertheless, Milan Directors directly or indirectly leaned towards Flamengo since the beginning, it's believed that former AC Milan Director and Manager Leonardo established the good relationship between the clubs while serving AC Milan.
Personally I'm surprised with this outcome, especially when taking into consideration Flamengo's current debts and unstable administration. Not even Flamengo's biggest Idol/God Zico could fix up the club's image! He resigned from his position just a few months after becoming part of the Board. As for Ronaldinho, he will join the club in Brazil with the most fans (somewhere between 33 – 40 million fans).
I wish both Ronaldinho and Flamengo good luck during the season!!!