This week, Eurosport makes you relive the summer when football changed era. 2003 marks a turning point for the Galacticos of Real Madrid, for the newly rich Chelsea or for the transfer of a prodigy, Cristiano Ronaldo. This Tuesday, the second episode of our series with the transfer of Ronaldinho to FC Barcelona under the nose and beard of Manchester United.
And to think that we see much more Denilson than him. April 2002: Nike pulls out all the stops to promote the World Cup in Asia. Terry Gilliam in the realization of an advertising campaign estimated at 100 million dollars, Eric Cantona as the provocative referee of a hidden tournament bringing together 24 of the best players in the world: Thierry Henry, Ronaldo, Edgar Davids, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos and … Ronaldinho. At the time, “Dinho” did not have the fame of his opponents and it was therefore within an improbable team, that of the “Funk Seoul Brothers” composed of the crazy dribbler Denilson and the South Korean Seol Ki- hyeon, that the Brazilian left “The Secret Tournament” in the quarter-finals. Nevertheless, this ad is confirmation of his status as a rising star in the Nike galaxy.
It must be said that his first months spent in Europe did not deflate the reputation that has accompanied Ronaldo de Assis Moreira since his debut. The gaucho prodigy, hence his nickname, first entertained Grêmio for three years before landing in Paris through the interpersonal skills of PSG sports director Jean-Luc Lamarche, friend of Roberto Assis, brother and agent of the nugget , already international (14 caps) and voted best player in the 1999 Confederations Cup. Laurent Baffie are foreign to him.
The sequel will be flashes that will characterize this genius with unsuspected potential and not quite fully exploited over time. His first season is a fact that all his training partners have detected from his first balls at Camp des Loges: Ronaldinho is apart, too strong, too technical, too lively, too everything when he really gets down to it. And the world will understand it a little more in Asia, where Brazil wins its fifth star thanks to its constellation of stars. Ronnie shines brightly there, David Seaman can attest to that. In short, in the summer of 2002, everyone in Paris already understood: nothing will ever be the same again.
Parisian summer soap opera
On his return to the capital, his Parisian daily life combines night outings and irregular performances despite still outstanding goals. Luis Fernandez tries to defend the club, punishes his star, puts him on the bench, gets knocked down by public opinion as well as by its president. Long before Neymar, long before Mbappé, Ronaldinho had already been too big for Paris. In the summer of 2003, the evidence is obvious: Ronaldinho is going to leave. Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United are on the front line while FC Barcelona, in the middle of the election period, is starting late on paper.
At PSG, we pretend to firmly believe in the possibility of keeping the Brazilian, still under contract for three years. Appointed president at the very beginning of June 2003, Francis Graille inherited the baby and thundered… on the official Manchester United website: “I know that, sooner or later, Ronaldinho will tell me that he wants to stay. Negotiations are continuing, but I am more and more sure that he will be in Paris next season”. Vahid Halilhodzic, new Parisian coach, trumpets that he is waiting for Ronnie in Aix-les-Bains on July 10, 2003 for the PSG pre-season training camp. He will wait a long time…
Ronaldinho, in the jersey of PSG
Credit: Getty Images
Because for weeks already, Manchester United has been advancing its pawns. At Old Trafford, the icon David Beckham will leave, new blood is needed in this Mancunian team, which is looking for creativity and percussion to open a new era. “Trying to buy Ronaldinho was simply a reflection of Manchester United’s policy of relying on star players, almost talismans, explained Sir Alex Ferguson years later to GQ. I was always looking for this type of talent”. To get her message across to her management, Fergie does not put the forms in front of a management that is not necessarily convinced at first sight. “On this one, my thinking was simple: ‘We were going to recover almost 30 million for Beckham, we were going to spend 25 on Ronaldinho. Guys, wake up!’ It was theft.”
When Graille uses Barca
A flight that still needs to be organised. It is the powerful Peter Kenyon, CEO of the club, who is in charge of the negotiations. The game seems already played in advance. So much so that even Ronaldinho comes to talk about this imminent transfer to relatives. World champion with Ronnie last summer, Kleberson is downright encouraged by his friend to choose Manchester during the Confederations Cup that they play together. “He told me he was going to sign in Manchester, explained the Brazilian to ESPN in 2018. […] He kept telling me ‘Come to Manchester’. I wanted to but was also a little hesitant because I didn’t speak English and United didn’t have any players who spoke Portuguese. But Ronaldinho persuaded me, I ended up signing with Manchester United. Him, no.”
At the beginning of July, however, at a time when the Ronaldinho clan is drying up the recovery with PSG, Manchester United still seems to be the main favorite. The English media are buzzing with an offer oscillating between 25 and 30 million euros, but Francis Graille proclaims loud and clear that this is a question of posture. The soap opera stretches more than expected, especially since the first official amount submitted by MU painfully reaches 16 million euros, an insult to the eyes of the Parisian leaders.
On July 15, in the headlines, L’Equipe wonders: “Ronaldinho, D-Day?”. July 16: “Ronaldinho at all costs”. On July 17, in the middle of the Tour, it was squarely the front page that the Brazilian monopolized: “The Ronaldinho intrigue”. The word is well chosen as the file sometimes turns ridiculous, with an omnipotent Roberto Assis and an almost disinterested player who gives full powers to his agent brother.
Roberto de Assis Moreira, brother and manager of Ronaldinho
Credit: Imago
However, on the 17th, a summit meeting was organized in Paris. Francis Graille, Peter Kenyon, Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Assis spend more than six hours together to settle the file. Financially, a contractual and salary agreement has been reached between the Mancunian club and the player, but MU are still reluctant to pay the amount claimed by Graille, namely 30 million. “As a good Auvergnat, I don’t intend to let go,” laughs the Parisian leader who was able to count on an offer from FC Barcelona in line with his expectations to increase the pressure.
Laporta’s secret weapon
While Sir Alex Ferguson battles with his board of directors and Kenyon who refuse to align the amount claimed, Joan Laporta appears in the shadows with a secret weapon, soon to be fatal: Sandro Rosell. Big boss of Nike in Brazil between 1999 and 2003, he has a solid network but above all a direct bond of friendship with Ronaldinho and his brother. The Barcelona duo are yet to come to power at Barca but already have a love for shots. The Beckham episode will only be an appetizer at the sight of what awaits Catalonia.
Months before, Rosell discussed with Ronaldinho, submitted to him the idea of a transfer to Barça, under the sun of Barcelona, with a club accustomed to managing Brazilian artists and artists in general. Quite the opposite of Manchester United. The speech is a hit, as Ronaldinho explained to Four Four Two in 2014.
“It was almost done with United, he explained. It was a matter of 48 hours but Sandro Rosell had told me, long before I received the offer: ‘If I become president of Barça, will that you would come? I had said yes. There were only a few details left with Manchester when Rosell called to say that he was going to win the election there. And since I had promised him that I would play at Barça…”. The story is romantic but hides a much more pragmatic reality, as Rosell has since told.
Sandro Rosell
Credit: Getty Images
“Ronaldinho’s brother met us in a hotel where there were also representatives from Manchester. We were in two separate rooms and went back and forth to him comparing offers. At one point we reached a point of no -return for what Barça could afford to offer”. Rosell then asks Luiz Felipe Scolari, also a friend, to call the player to sell him the Barcelona project.
The Catalan press taken aback
The legendary coach of the Seleção will listen to the player, visibly in full doubt, before pushing him into the arms of Barça. “Ronnie sometimes doubted his abilities, Scolari will explain in a documentary for FIFA. He needed people who appreciated him for what he was”. The solar Ronnie hesitates to join the depressing Manchester, which will inspire this sentence to Quinton Fortune, then MU player: “I think we were wrong to bring Ronaldinho at the wrong time of year since it was raining on the day he landed at Manchester Airport”.
In the case, PSG also played its influence. True to his promises, Graille rejects the offer of 27 million dry MU where Barça offers 27 + 3M. It is therefore a combination of factors that end up directing Ronnie towards Catalonia to everyone’s surprise. A proof ? On July 16, Mundo Deportivo makes its front page on “Ronaldinho who is moving away” and already paints the portraits of Deco or Pablo Aimar, B tracks in this file. On July 20, Ronaldinho arrives in Catalonia in front of journalists and supporters as blown away as they are happy. Despite the absence of the Champions League, and a delicate financial situation, they welcome a star capable of restoring their image. Rightly since Ronaldinho will become “R10” at Camp Nou, will be crowned Ballon d’Or and will bring back a Champions League hoped for since 1992 in his third year.
Ronaldinho during his presentation in the summer of 2003
Credit: Getty Images
On the side of Manchester United, on the other hand, it is the cold shower. “Frankly, it was disappointing to miss Ronaldinho, Ferguson will admit years later, charging his CEO. There was a problem with his brother but Peter Kenyon, who was in charge of the operation, did not do the job “. In the first team, too, we are disgusted. Interviewed by the BBC in 2020, Paul Scholes faithfully describes the state of mind of the group at the time.
“We were close to announcing Ronaldinho and assigning him a number but he changed his mind at the last moment to choose Barcelona. […] We were all super excited. Ronaldinho, frankly, what a player! He came from PSG and had to bring something special”. But the resentment is tenacious. The same summer, Manchester United and Barça meet in a preparation match in Philadelphia, a few days after this turnaround. or almost (August 3 in reality, editor’s note), we were playing against him and we all tried to mow him down because of that”. the Mancunian defense despite the victory of the Red Devils (1-3).
Ferguson is upset and must then turn to other avenues. He won’t have to wait very long. Three days later, on August 6, his squad traveled to Lisbon to face Sporting Portugal. There too, an artist bursts the screen. A certain Cristiano Ronaldo…
To be continued on Wednesday: Episode 3 dedicated to the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United
2023-07-31 21:41:00
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