A decade ago, he was one of the best footballers on the planet. A winner of the Ballon d’Or, the World Cup and the Champions League, Ronaldinho was setting the world alight when players like Messi, Ronaldo and Bale were still in short pants.
However, the Brazilian legend now finds himself without a club, having been released by Atlético Mineiro after three seasons with the club from Belo Horizonte.
But whereas in 2003, he had the cream of European football clubs in Manchester United and Barcelona offering him the chance to play for their clubs, the buck-toothed flip-flapper’s best offer in 2014 is from Basingstoke Town, who play in the Conference South, the sixth tier of English football.
Basingstoke marketing director Simon Hood said, “We’ve put an offer to his brother, who is his agent, and look forward hearing back from him. What better way for [Ronaldinho] to get back into football than to play for Basingstoke Town. We are third in the table and it would be great for not only Basingstoke but non-league football.” (source: BBC South)
Ronaldinho also has another offer from Indian Super League side Chennai Titans to consider, but since free agents are unaffected by transfer windows, he’s in no rush to make his mind up, and no one would be surprised if further bids came in from clubs further up the footballing ladder.
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