By Samindra Kunti
August 3 – Ronaldinho Gaucho marked his winning return to Brazilian football at the weekend with an assist against Gremio. He has a contract with Fluminense until December 2016, but did the Rio club just sign him for marketing reasons?
The question is rhetorical, the evidence in case not simply circumstantial.
“I chose to come home. I chose Brazil … I’m happy, I’m home, I’m Flu!!,” announced Ronaldinho via social media when he signed for the Brazilian club. Then, as fans flocked to his unveiling on July 27, Ronaldinho arrived an hour late.
It was a first sign that Ronaldinho may yet again not be committed to his new club. Once the world’s best player, he spearheaded Spanish giants FC Barcelona between 2003-2008, but thereafter his fall from grace has been precipitous.
The eccentric genius returned to his Brazil in 2011, a procession of failed club spells and negative headlines began. Flamengo failed to pay his wages on time and Ronaldinho rescinded his contract during his second season. A bidding war began and the buck toothed midfielder headed for Atletico Mineiro.
There, for a season, he showed glimpses of his outrageous talent, acting in a more central role with Diego Tardelli and Bernard as his support cast. But his star faded fast again.
His odyssey continued, signing for Mexican outfit Queretaro. There, the Brazilian created a storm of publicity but not much else.
At 35, Ronaldinho will not alter Fluminense’s sporting fortunes much. He has not stayed longer than 16 months at any of his previous three clubs, with many months spent in a state of apathy. Ronaldinho will earn a reported $190,000 per month plus $60,000 in add-ons.
But his signing is a marketing coup for Fluminense, who have reported a 36% rise in club membership. The club have 34,000 members, up a staggering 9,000 since the arrival of Ronaldinho, according to Chinese state agency Xinhua. In the previous two seasons membership figures had just risen by 3,000, a disappointment for Fluminense who wanted to drive a marketing campaign with the renovated Maracana as a centerpiece.
This weekend 33,000 fans were the stands as Ronaldinho delivered a flighted pass for Marcos Junior to score the only game against Gremio. Fluminense, typically the club of Rio’s white middle class, often gets crowds well below the 20,000 mark.
The win saw Fluminense climb to third in the league table.
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