The
transfer
that
changed
football
-
how
Ronaldinho's
switch
from
PSG
to
Barcelona
sparked
a
revolution
Apr 2, 2013 9:00:00 AM 1
The brilliant Brazilian became the Catalan
club's flagship signing in 2003 and the
cornerstone of an exciting new project which
may never have got going without his special
skills

It can be all too easy to forget Ronaldinho's role
in the creation of today's Barcelona. Shepherded
swiftly towards the exit door by incoming coach
Pep Guardiola in the summer of 2008, the
brilliant Brazilian would play no part in a team
which would go on to become the world's finest
footballing side and be hailed by many as the
best ever. Yet in the previous project, he had
been the star, the man to make Barcelona
believe again following a long period in the
wilderness. His transfer from Paris Saint-Germain
not only changed the history of the Catalan club,
but also transformed the modern game. This was
some story.
Almost a decade has passed since Ronaldinho
swapped the bright lights of Paris for the fun
and the sun of Barcelona. But the Catalan club
was not a happy place to be in 2003; without a
trophy since Louis van Gaal led them to La Liga
in 1999, Barca were living in the shadow of Real
Madrid's Galactico team both at home and in
Europe. They needed a new hero.
For a brief moment, it looked as if that man may
be David Beckham. Joan Laporta announced to
the press in June 2003 that his board had struck
a deal to bring in the England midfielder from
Manchester United that summer - providing the
lawyer won the subsequent elections.
In fact, Beckham's move to Real Madrid had long
been agreed. Laporta's announcement, however,
was backed up by a statement from United. And
Madrid kept quiet. The carefully planned
communique was actually a ploy to win votes
from the socios in the forthcoming club
elections. Laporta had not been the favourite to
win - but the Beckham bait swung the vote
heavily in his favour. The spin had been spun -
and Laporta won.
But if that move was a smart strategy, what
came next was a masterstroke. Instead of signing
Beckham, who was set for Madrid anyway,
Barcelona went out and splashed their cash
(around €30m) on an even better player:
Ronaldinho.
Handing over the reins | Ronaldinho set up
Messi's first Barcelona goal in 2005
United, seeking a replacement for the departing
Beckham, had been set on signing the Brazilian,
but Barcelona's then vice-president Sandro
Rosell used his contacts from his former role
with Nike in Brazil to convince the World Cup
winner that he would be the flagship footballer
in a fresh and ambitious project at Camp Nou -
the man to lift the club from the doldrums in an
exciting new side. The stage was set.
Ronaldinho marked his home debut in La Liga
with a stunning strike as he cut in from the left
and waltzed past two players before blasting an
unstoppable drive in off the crossbar from long
range in a game against Sevilla which had kicked
off after midnight due to a dispute between
Laporta and the Andalusians' president Jose
Maria del Nido.
But it took time. Rijkaard's side struggled to gel
and were unable to find any form of consistency
in the opening months. Indeed, 2004 began with
a 3-0 loss at Racing Santander which left the
Catalans in 12th place and the Dutchman
staring at the sack.
But Barca were energised by the arrival of Edgar
Davids in January, with the Pitbull adding more
mobility and much-needed bite to a vulnerable
midfield, protecting the defence and allowing
Ronaldinho (who had struggled with injury for a
good part of the first half of the campaign) much
more time on the ball in areas where he could
do the most damage, setting off from his starting
spot on the left. And in their last 20 games, the
Catalans claimed 48 points, losing just twice;
Rijkaard's men rose from 12th to finish the
season in second, behind title winners Valencia.
RONALDINHO AT BARCA: 2003-2008
Total games
Goals
Assists
La Liga titles
Champions League titles
Total trophies
207
94
80
2
1
5
Ronaldinho had played a huge part, scoring 22
goals and assisting 14 more. There were several
superb strikes along the way, including a
wonderful overhead effort at Osasuna, but the
Brazilian had captured the imagination with his
astonishing all-round play - a festival of flicks,
tricks, dribbles, and shimmies. He was playing
for the team but also to the gallery, and fans
were out of their seats, sensing that something
special was about to happen.
It was. Davids departed along with compatriot
Phillip Cocu in the summer of 2004 but with
Mexico captain Rafa Marquez utilised in a
defensive midfield role, Barca retained their
balance and Ronaldinho remained rampant.
There were less goals [13] but more assists [20]
as the Brazilian began a promising partnership
with summer signing Samuel Eto'o. This time,
there was no poor start and Barca cruised to
their first league title since 1999. In the
Champions League, they were edged out by
Chelsea in the last 16, despite a glorious curled
effort with the inside of his right foot from
Ronaldinho at Stamford Bridge which had
seemed speculative at best when he lined up his
shot from a standstill on the edge of the 'D',
surrounded by defenders and with barely any
space to aim at.
Revenge over Chelsea would come in 2005-06,
but only after a second Fifa World Player of the
Year prize for the Brazilian, a first Ballon d'Or
and an ovation at the Santiago Bernabeu for a
stunning show in Barca's 3-0 win at the home of
their fiercest rivals, which included two
sensational solo strikes, the second of which left
madridistas with nothing left to do but to
applaud. Not even Lionel Messi has received
such recognition in the capital.
This was Ronaldinho's standout season at Camp
Nou and in it, he hit another 26 goals, including
a fine run and low strike against Chelsea as Jose
Mourinho's men were put to the sword, as well
as memorable efforts against Espanyol, Udinese
and Real Sociedad. The Brazilian also assisted 22
more and ended the campaign with another
medal in La Liga, plus a Champions League
crown as Barca overcome Arsenal in a tense
finale in Paris.
That match had not been the Brazilian's best,
yet Ronaldinho was the player who had made
Barca believe in such successes. He was the
inspiration, the spark which ignited an entire
project. Sadly, the flame flickered out the
following season.
He is the biggest talent I have seen in football.
The greatest. Ronaldinho, when he arrived,
changed the history of this club.
- Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes
Still brilliant for the first half of the 2006-07
campaign, Ronaldinho added more gorgeous
goals to his stunning scrapbook with an
audacious free kick under the wall against
Werder Bremen, as well as a beautiful bicycle
kick against Villarreal. But the parties at his
home in Castelldefels took their tool. The forward
gained weight, lost form and confidence too as
Barca missed out on La Liga on the last day to a
resurgent Real Madrid. The following season only
brought more of the same and with no trophies
in 2006-07 or 2007-08, it was time for a change.
Laporta survived a censure motion, but Rijkaard
was replaced by Guardiola and Ronaldinho was
forced out as well, with the Catalans concerned
that his influence on a young and
impressionable Messi could lead the Argentine
along the same prickly path.
So all of a sudden, he was gone - another Barca
legend left by the back door and quickly
confined to the past as Guardiola's great team
made their mark. But Ronaldinho's role in the
creation of this special side should never be
understated: He made Barca believe again after
several tough, trophyless years; he lifted an
entire club from a dark depression; he
enthralled Blaugrana fans in a way no other
player has managed since (not even Messi) with
his audacious skills and infectious personality;
he energised the dressing room and led the side
to the kind of glory which had seemed so distant
upon his arrival in 2003. He made the
difference.
It may not have lasted long, but without
Ronaldinho, none of the recent rewards may
have even been possible at Barcelona: the
Brazilian changed the course of the Catalan club
forever, and sparked a revolution in modern
football in the process. So as the two teams who
made his transfer to Camp Nou possible prepare
to meet on Tuesday, lest he be forgotten.

tale