Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho agreed on Tuesday to leave Barcelona, where he was deemed surplus to requirements, and sign for AC Milan in a deal reported to be worth US$30 million.
“AC Milan and FC Barcelona have reached an agreement for the transfer of Ronaldinho,” said a Milan statement released on the club’s official Web site.
“Tomorrow [Wednesday] the player will be in Milan for a medical and to sign the contract which will tie him to Milan until June 30, 2011,” the statement said.
PHOTO: AP
Barcelona and Milan officials held talks in the Catalan capital on Tuesday to thrash out the details of the 28-year-old’s move. The Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Milan will pay Barcelona 18.5 million euros (US$29.5 million) for the World Cup winner with the figure likely to be increased by performance-related bonuses.
The news of the deal was a bodyblow to English Premier League side Manchester City who had offered 32 million euros for the two-time world player of the year.
Ronaldinho, who was not wanted at the Nou Camp by new Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola following a dip in form last season, scored 70 goals in 145 appearances for the Spanish side.
Meanwhile, Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is looking forward to having Ronaldinho in his team as the San Siro giants aim to bounce back from their disappointing 2007/2008 season which saw them finish in fifth place in Serie A and miss out on Champions League qualification.
“The important thing is to have quality players and Ronaldinho is without doubt one of those,” Ancelotti told Gazzetta dello Sport earlier on Tuesday.
He added that the team will line-up so as to make best use of the Brazilian and his international teammate Kaka, with the pair playing behind either veteran Italy international striker Filippo Inzaghi or Brazilian sensation Pato.
“We will play with a 4-3-2-1 formation. It’s a model that has worked well for us and brought us great satisfaction. It’s our trademark and it will be again this year, with or without Ronaldinho. Our only objective is to win playing good football. This is Milan,” he said.
Having won two Champions League titles, 49-year-old Ancelotti said that returning to the pinnacle of the European club game was the team’s priority.
“We start the season wanting to improve; being out of the Champions League is hard to take, therefore we will do everything to return there as soon as possible,” he said.
Spain bid a half-hearted farewell to Ronaldinho yesterday, with sports newspaper AS noting that despite his talents he had become “tired of winning,” despite his annual salary of 7 million euros.
In the past two years, Ronaldinho has been better known for his nocturnal exploits than his performances on the field and despite his “wonderful glory days” at Barca he is “the antithesis of the new plan” which Guardiola hopes will finally bring the Catalan club some success after two seasons without silverware, the newspaper El Periodico said.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and