La Liga
Rijkaard pays price for the listlessness of his number 10
On May 17 2006, Ronaldinho stood on the brink of greatness. On the cusp of a level that very few sportsman have ever graced. He stood on the turf in the middle of the Stade de France with the Champions League trophy raised high above his head after the 2-1 defeat of Arsenal. The Barcelona fans showed their appreciation and the photographers swarmed around him.
The Barcelona squad of 2006 was by no means a one-man-team. Samuel Eto’o and Deco were in terrific form, Lionel Messi was the breakthrough star of the season and Dutch manager Frank Rijkaard had changed the course of the final with his introduction of Henrik Larsson and Juliano Belletti from the bench. They were a team who could score through sustained pressure, a counter-attack, a set-piece or simply just a moment of magic. And that inspiration could come from one of several players in the famous red and blue jersey. But it was apparent to all that Ronaldinho was the standout performer of the team.
He was irresistible all season in the team which also strode to the La Liga crown to seal the double. He captivated the world by playing as if he were no longer bound by the laws of gravity and his change of pace, vast array of passing, flicks and back-heels bamboozled the greatest defences Europe had to offer. Barcelona that season were the embodiment of what Roman Abramovich aspires Chelsea to be - that rare but spectacular harmony between entertainment and trophies. Ronaldinho being acclaimed as the best player in the world became a flagrant statement, and he was on his way to the World Cup in Germany to prove just that.
It was the previous World Cup in 2002 when the dentally challenged Brazilian ‘arrived’ on the international stage with the goal that eliminated England. From then on ‘R10’ as he was dubbed by the Nike marketing department seemed scintillatingly unstoppable. His nation went on to win the 2002 World Cup in Tokyo and he returned to find Manchester United and Barcelona vying for his signature. He became a regular on Soccer AM’s showboat whilst accumulating further winners’ medals as he entered the golden phase of his career at the Camp Nou.
Yet the 2006 World Cup was to signify the beginning of a slide in his career. After the highs of the Stade de France, he failed to make much of an impact in Germany and Brazil went out at the quarter-final stage with a whimper. It is uncertain what had changed, but he returned a far less effective player.
The Barcelona team now is comparable to the great team of 2006 on paper only. Eto’o and Deco have had very public rows with the manager and are likely to be transferred this summer and Messi has struggled for fitness. Rijkaard’s position is no longer tenable as a second consecutive trophyless season was greeted with a raft of white handkerchiefs from the Catalan public.
Barcelona finished a distant third in this year’s title race behind Villarreal and the pasillo, or Guard of Honour, that Barcelona players gave their greatest rivals and newly-crowned Spanish champions Real Madrid recently was described by the Guardian as ‘the mother of all embarrassments’.
Rijkaard took the humiliation sportingly, but he was to be informed of his dismissal the following day.
It would have roundly been deemed a tragedy if the Catalonian giants had failed to achieve anything after playing so stunningly throughout the 2005/2006 season, but they have flattered to deceive ever since, and it is difficult to hide the correlation between Barcelona’s form and Ronaldinho’s well-being. Rijkaard’s major headache throughout the last two years has been trying to discover how to rejuvenate the man who was permanently capable of turning performances around. With Rijkaard’s exit now certain, it seems that Ronaldinho’s fate will be intrinsically entwined.
The Dutchman’s laid-back management style, or perhaps more accurately, Ronaldinho’s willingness to take liberties of his preferential treatment under this laid-back management style, has played no small part in the much-talked about dressing room atmosphere which has ostensibly been a key factor in Barcelona’s drop in form. R10, as talented as he is, now seems to hold more negative influence on the squad than positive.
Ronaldinho often misses training sessions and has consistently been accused of being overweight and unprofessional by the Spanish media of late. Added to this his failure to see eye-to-eye with Frank Rijkaard (and let us not forget the buck-toothed forward was in the headlines for dating Rijkaard’s daughter last year) and Ronaldinho has frequently been left on the bench this season and ineffective when thrown on.
He has never been a keen trainer and his time at Paris St Germaine was littered with examples of him missing training sessions. However, at the Camp Nou he briefly appeared to have matured and found his professional feet. Rijkaard at the time was heralded as a managerial genius for his handling of his star player, but with Ronaldinho’s decreasing levels of motivation and fitness, the former Dutch international has been portrayed as docile in some quarters. The pair are simultaneously the embodiment of the most successful and entertaining team in recent European football and the reason for the great club’s fall to a mediocre malaise.
It was not so long ago that the mercurial attacker was being touted as one of the greatest ever to play the game. Indeed he is still only 28 years of age, and as the old saying goes, “form is temporary; but class is permanent”. The sad reality is that he is still capable of dominating a game at the highest level with his unique trickery and grace. Rijkaard though has already paid the price though for showing such faith in the star player with whom he has such a strained relationship.
In spite of his talents, it will take a brave manager to take on the challenge of Ronaldinho this summer. If Ronaldinho were to opt for Inter Milan, with whom he has been strongly linked, it may prove to be a very ‘special’ challenge indeed.
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Excellent article - Ronaldinho is well past his best, and a lot of that is down to his attitude. Nevertheless, it is sad to see such a great player lose his grace so rapidly.
man
That, and that he is a fat, goofy, tool.
Thank God he didn’t come to Man City, he would have created hell in the dressing room. City are looking towards having a good solid season, we need a Santa Cruz type player to add to the squad, and with Ben Haim coming shortly, City’s squad for 2008 / 9 is very healthy.
The word is out that Roolydhino turned down ManCity because Thaksin wouldn’t pay for his liposuction. Also Rooly didn’t want to play evening games because that would make him late for the nightclubs. Moreover, those Manchester girls have been brought up on chips and beer so they were in the same shape as him.