The Return Of Ronaldinho—Is It Possible?

We are all familiar with the feints, the look-away passes, the surgical free kicks that made the world’s football fans fall in love with Ronaldinho. Even those who were not Brazilian or Barcelona fans could not argue that “the force” was strong with this one.

Remember that game against Real Madrid (you know the one) where he scored two of the most amazing goals that will be forever imprinted in the memories of Real Madrid fans. The whole Bernabeu audience stood up in awe of this great athlete.

Performances like that at the Bernabeu and many others earned him not one, but two FIFA Player of the Year awards for 2004 and 2005.

In 45 appearances in the 2003-2004 season, Ronaldinho scored 22 goals; in the 2004-2005 season he scored 13 goals in 42 appearances. This does not include the magic that he brought on the pitch feeding Messi and Eto’o many, many goal scoring opportunities.

His best year yet scoring wise came in 2005-2006 when he had 26 goals in 45 matches. He led Barcelona to both a La Liga and Champions League titles. Remember that amazing overhead bicycle kick goal against Villareal which brought the whole stadium to its feet?

Everyone believed that with Ronaldinho wearing the number 10 jersey for Brazil, they would win the 2006 World Cup.

But if there is one thing that we all can agree on, it is that in this beautiful game of ours, nothing is for sure.

In 2006 Ronaldinho was part of the “Magic Quartet “alongside Adriano, Kaka and Ronaldo. Nevertheless, Ronaldinho turned in his worst performance ever in international games. He remained scoreless and provided only one assist on Gilberto’s goal over Japan. Ronaldinho became the worst number 10 ever in Brazil’s World Cup History, if not in statistics, at least in the minds of fans that were looking to him to lead a star studded team to an unprecedented sixth world cup titles. But it was not to be.

After the World Cup, the Ronaldinho roller coaster began its ride. Plagued by injury and a lack of form, Ronaldinho turned in a less than stellar season, marking his back door exit from Barcelona.

Can He Return To Form?

Well, this is a tricky question. There are many who say yes and many who say no. I am on the fence. But I will say that Ronaldinho, more than anyone I have ever seen play, has all the tools necessary to drive him back to being football’s No. 1 player.

Reason No. 1: He has natural talent. He has what players the world over long for, but can’t be taught. Either you have it or you don’t.

Reason No. 2: Team Support. He has a support system behind him that just wants to see him succeed. New coach Leonardo is doing all that is possible for him to once again return to form. Teammates are supportive and are all looking to him to lead the way.

Reason No. 3: He has something to prove. That is a very strong motivating force. I don’t think that a player of his caliber would want to end his career on this flat note. I believe that having the World Cup just around the corner will motivate him to train harder, to once again become that game-changing player that we are used to seeing.

Many say that he parties too much, that he is not professional, and that he has no respect for the jersey that he represents. I have to disagree. I think that a lot of what we see and hear in the media are stories that will sell copies of newspapers and magazines, stories that will increase viewers on Web sites. Which would be a news story that you would most likely read…"Ronaldinho Out Until All Hours" or "Seedorf out Late with His Buddies"? Of course the more newsworthy story is anything and everything about Ronaldinho.

Now, on the other hand, he is a millionaire athlete that should be professional and make sure that he is present at all training sessions giving 110 percent

Can Ronaldinho Return to Form? I hope so. The world of football misses him.

Injured Messi Will Miss Friendly Against Russia

Can things get any worse for Maradona?

After a poor showing in the last few qualifying games, losing to a weak Bolivian side 6x1 and 2x0 to Equador and just squeaking by with a marginal victory over Colombia, Maradona is desperate to win back the confidence of the fans, and at the same time to instill confidence in the players. Losing Messi will not make things easier.

After yesterday’s training session Messi felt a “twinge” in his right leg. He was taken to the training room where he was examined by both Argentine and Barcelona doctors alike.

Messi will be undergoing a series of tests to determine the extent of the injury. Needless to say Maradona is extremely worried with more qualifying games just around the corner.

Taking Messi’s place in the line-up is Inter striker Diego Milito.

Argentina Confirmed Lineup... Mariano Andújar (Catania-Ita); Javier Zanetti (Inter-Ita), Nicolás Burdisso(Inter-Ita), Nicolás Otamendi (Vélez Sarsfield), Gabriel Heinze (Olympique Marseille-Fra); Maximiliano Rodríguez (Atlético Madrid-Esp), Javier Mascherano (Liverpool, Eng), Mario Bolatti (Huracán), Jonás Gutiérrez (Newcastle, Eng); Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid-Esp), Diego Milito (Inter-Ita)

AC Milan - "Pato Is Not For Sale!"

Alexandre Rodriguez da Silva or better known as simply Pato (Duck in Portuguese) has been the source of much talk these past few days due to a report from English media that Pato would be joining AC Milan’s former manager Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea.

A.C. Milan made a formal statement on their website that “there is no negotiation regarding Alexandre Pato, and that the player is absolutely not for sale.”

With the Kaka’s departure, the retirement of Maldini, Ronaldinho struggling to get back to form and an aging roster; getting rid of one of their most promising young players would be disastrous.

Though still young, Pato has great technique and speed, and knows how to finish, qualities that Milan desperately needs in their young players.

Pato , more than proved his worth in 2008-2009 season. Showing his ability to perform as a strong second striker, his powerful dribbles, magnificent finishes, and speed earned him 18 goals, 15 in the Seria A and 3 in the UEFA cup. Making him AC Milan’s top scorer for last season.

Now with the arrival of Huntelaar they have the potential to create a partnership that could rival that of Sheva and Pippo.

Fabio Capello: "Beckham Must Return to Europe By December"

England’s manager Fabio Capello gave David Beckham an ultimatum: “Beckham knows well that if he doesn’t return to a big European championship in December he’ll have no chance for The World Cup,” reported Moday’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Returning to the English National team after proving his fitness and quality of play during his brief stint with AC Milan, Beckham has returned to the Galaxy and has not presented the same quality of football.

While in Milan, Beckham tried everything possible to remain in Italy, but the Galaxy refused to consider a transfer, almost bullying the English midfielder into honoring his contract.

The point that Capello is trying to make is very simple. If Beckham wants to continue to be a great footballer and compete on football’s greatest stage—the World Cup—he must continue to compete with great footballers. Where are they? They are in Europe. There is no question.

So it looks like David Beckham’s MLS days are numbered.

Leonardo:” We Can’t Rely Solely On Youth”

AC Milan new head coach Leonardo warned this Tuesday that his team will not have a good season relying solely on youth players. He believes that Milan is still in need of reinforcements.

This in response to comments made by Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi that it is imperative for Leonardo to utilize players less than 23 years of age.

If there is one thing the pre-season games made evident is that Milan is still in need of reinforcements; they have not been able to replace Kaka and are now in danger of losing Pirlo to Chelsea.

The only effort made for reinforcements, if you can call it that was the low ball offer for Luis Fabiano, which was emphatically rejected by Sevilla.

Abate (22), and Antonini (26)provided a glimmer of hope putting in solid performances in the pre-season.

Milan’s over 30 list:

Kalac - 36
Abbiati - 32
Dida – 35
Kaladze – 31
Gattuso – 31
Inzaghi – 35
Seedorf – 33
Nesta – 33
Zambrotta – 32
Jankulovski – 32
Favalli – 37
Pirlo – 30
Ambrosini – 32
Oddo - 33

Ronaldinho Left Out Of Brazil Friendly

Today Dunga announced the group that will participate in a friendly match against Estonia on August 12^th.

The Brazilian base will remain the same as the squad that won the Confederations Cup this past June. The only changes are Marcelo from Real Madrid (replacing Kleber) and Diego Tardelli from Atletico-MG (replacing Pato).

Marcelo has proven that he deserves a spot in the national team based on past performances. He was left out of the squad during the Confederations Cup and World Cup qualifiers because he was playing in a different position than customary for Real Madrid which greatly affected his performance for Real and for the National team. With new Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini he has been playing in his usual left back position.

What really caught me by surprise was the “nod” given to Diego Tardelli. While I have heard great things about this player including that he is one of the top goal scorers in the Brazilian Championship, the few times that I actually watched him play he failed to impress me. But I am not the one he has to impress and no doubt he has captured Dunga’s attention.

Based on his performance in the AC Milan’s pre-season games this past week, it doesn’t surprise me that Pato is being left out.

I am not surprised either that Ronaldinho has also been left out, but I am disappointed. I thought this would be a great chance to re-introduce him to the squad and give him an opportunity to win back his place in the national team. Especially since this is going to be a good opportunity for the players to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers against Argentina (4^th place with 22 points) and Chile (2^nd place with 26 points) in September. Perhaps it’s too early for him to stage a comeback. What do you think?

Brazilian National Team:

Júlio César (Inter de Milão-ITA)
Gomes (Tottenham-ING)

Marcelo (Real Madrid-ESP)
Daniel Alves (Barcelona-ESP)
Maicon (Inter de Milão-ITA)
André Santos (Fenerbahçe-TUR)

Lúcio (Inter de Milão-ITA)
Juan (Roma-ITA)
Luisão (Benfica-POR)
Miranda (São Paulo)

Felipe Melo (Juventus-ITA)
Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos-GRE)
Josué (Wolfsburg-ALE)
Elano (Manchester City-ING)
Kleberson (Flamengo)
Ramires (Benfica-POR)
Júlio Baptista (Roma-ITA)
Kaká (Real Madrid-ESP)

Diego Tardelli (Atlético-MG)
Robinho (Manchester City-ING)
Luis Fabiano (Sevilla-ESP)
Nilmar (Villarreal-ESP)

Diego, Serie A's New Magician

Diego Ribas Da Cunha, or better known as just Diego. This player has come a long way since his early days in Santos of Brazil. One of the most prominent soccer teams in Brazil made famous the world over for introducing to the world the greatest soccer player that ever lived Pele. But that is a subject for another article.

At the young age of 12 Diego was signed to Santos where he was developed through their youth system making his professional debut at the young age of 16, playing alongside Robinho and Elano. The three of them captured Brazil by storm and before you know it Diego was on his way to Porto of Portugal.

While in Portugal Diego really failed to impress, and in 2006 he moved to Werder Bremen. This is when his star began to rise in the soccer world, winning Bundesliga player of the month both in August and in December of 2006, also named the best player of the first half of the Bundesliga season and later winning the player of the year award given out by Kicker Magazine.

His goal against Alemannia Aachen in stoppage time from 62.5 meters was chosen as goal of the year.

His last season with Werder Bremen was his best season (personally). He scored 20 goals.

Now this young magician is facing a new challenge in a new league. As of May of 2009 Diego has been brought to the Seria A where he will represent Juventus. Hoping to replace an aging, injury prone Nedved, it is my humble opinion that he will fit in very well with Del Piero and Amauri. Combining his passing, dribbling, vision of the game and his ability to create plays out of thin air will do wonders to feed Del Piero and Amauri many opportunities for goals.

I believe that he is the player to watch this coming season.