Ronaldinho Back?

The Brazilian superstar and icon of world football signed for Milan from Barcelona in the summer just gone, for a mere €21 million. It was a highly controversial signing by the Italian giants nonetheless, as many believed that the player was well and truly past his best.

Ronaldinho made 145 appearances for the Spanish giants from 2003-2008, a period in which he also managed to score on 70 occasions. He quickly emerged as one of the world’s top footballers after signing from PSG in 2003, as he claimed the FIFA World Player of the Year award in both 2004 and 2005.

The 2007/08 La Liga season, which was to be the 28-year-old’s fifth and final with the Catalan giants, was plagued by injury and off-the-field issues. His season was brought to an untimely end on April 3, due to a muscle tear in his right leg.

As a result, the Brazilian maestro was down on form and extremely low in confidence, making it a miserable way to end with a side that he had enjoyed so much success with over the years. And so, the player and the club decided to part ways, with Milan eventually becoming his new home.

After 11 rounds of Italian football, Ronnie seems to have finally found his feet in Milan, as he has been excellent and decisive in recent times. He now has five goals in the league to his name, including a strike last weekend at Lecce.

It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the former Barcelona man though, as he did take a little while to get started with the club, resulting in criticism for both him and Milan. ‘Dinho’ failed to have a major impact until the fifth round of Serie A, when he netted the only goal in Milan’s 1-0 triumph over Inter in the Derby della Madonnina, heading home following some great work from his Brazilian compatriot Kaka.

Since then, the buck-toothed star has scored four more times in the league, including a fine brace against Sampdoria, and once in the UEFA cup – a 93rd minute wonder goal against Braga to give his side the three points.

It seems as if with time, Ronaldinho will only continue to improve with the Rossoneri, as he begins to settle down and adapt to life in the fashion capital. He has been inspired in recent matches, and if his form continues in this manner in the coming months, even a return to his ultimate best could be on the cards.