When you control as many major media outlets as Silvio does, you can make a major media event out of pretty much anything.

Having the formal presentation at San Siro tonight strikes me as a bit OTT. He's not Maradona coming to Napoli.

ursus arctos wrote:

QUOTE:
When you control as many major media outlets as Silvio does, you can make a major media event out of pretty much anything.

Yes yes, but people still have to believe it. It still has to be convincing.

QUOTE:
Having the formal presentation at San Siro tonight strikes me as a bit OTT. He's not Maradona coming to Napoli.

Meh. Good times.

Ronal-fuckin-dinho, man! Cmon! Prime time, baybee!

Actually, I'm not sure that people have to believe it; there is a whole culture of spectactle at work here, and by the time one shiny bauble has lost its short-lived lustre, another appears to take its place (or at least distract the attention of the populace from the troubles at hand).

Panem et circenses, innit?

Supposedly 30,000 at San Siro to see him "presented". I chose not to go.

But don't let me bunk your high. His arrival makes what was already going to be an interesting season that much more interesting.

Then I wouldn't so much blame Berlusconi. If he owes his political popularity to wielding a big shiny kaleidoscope, and not to good old-fashioned fixed elections, then the Italians have themselves to blame. Kind of like how we reelect Bush because we can't find the Middle East on a map. People tend to get the leaders they deserve.

The better term is "unveiled" btw.

If I was able to give myself a blowjob, I'd rather give meself one than see this Ronaldinho/Milan deal go through.

Maybe if I go have a try and muster a solo family member incest, the transfer will not go through on some shite wee bit, like Ronaldinho NOT WORTH THAT KIND OF MONEY!

Why not just have a tug?

Amidst all of this unseemly fuss it's easy to forget that Milan have actually done the best transfer deal on the continent this close season - signing Flamini for free is a great coup.

I think the question Milan fans should really be asking themselves is - why did no-one else come in for him? I mean he was until very recently the best player in the world, who is still only 28, yet even at a well-publicised knock-down price got only the interest of two megalomaniac publicity-obsessed club owners. There must be about 20 clubs who could have stumped up the necessary cash, and only two of them tried? Even Chelsea, for whom 25m is basically pocket change, couldn't be bothered (and obviously Scolari knows Ronaldinho fairly well).

I hope Ronaldinho does recover his form - not for Milan really because I think that club is vile - but because when he was at his peak he was an absolute joy to watch. It's a shame that he's drifted into premature retirement.

WHS

Hieronymus of Hesselink wrote:

QUOTE:
Given that he would have been training five times a week and playing a game at the weekend

Not necessarily, from Sid Lowe in The Guardian;

QUOTE:
When Eto'o launched his infamous attack on Ronaldinho in February 2007 he suggested that his team-mate attended "eight of every 50 training sessions". It was only a slight exaggeration: over the past two seasons the Brazilian attended fewer than half. "Ronaldinho is in the gym" became a running joke and there was no hiding his expanding girth.

I hope Ronaldinho gets it back because at his best for Barca he was irresistable and god knows there aren't enough players that watchable.

Having said that (unless it was an unflattering camera angle) he did look as though he could do with 2 or 3 good pre seasons

ad hoc wrote:

QUOTE:
I think the question Milan fans should really be asking themselves is - why did no-one else come in for him? I mean he was until very recently the best player in the world, who is still only 28, yet even at a well-publicised knock-down price got only the interest of two megalomaniac publicity-obsessed club owners.

I know! It's almost as though everyone assumed his career was beyond salvaging what with all the drinking and weight gain.

QUOTE:
There must be about 20 clubs who could have stumped up the necessary cash, and only two of them tried? Even Chelsea, for whom 25m is basically pocket change, couldn't be bothered (and obviously Scolari knows Ronaldinho fairly well).

I think this discounts the fact that Ronaldinho clearly wanted to go to Milan and nowhere else. A second megalomaniac, from a second-tier club, decided to try and outbid out of desperation. But I assume Scolari figured he wasn't worth bothering about since Ronaldinho had given no indication he wanted to play in England (to my knowledge). Given that there are only a handful of clubs with the stature to appeal to a star at his level, I don't find it all that surprising that none of that handful tried to get him since he so clearly wanted to play for Milan, and had for some time.

QUOTE:
I think this discounts the fact that Ronaldinho clearly wanted to go to Milan and nowhere else.

Ohh, i see. It's another one of your wind-ups.

What do you mean?

You mean this;

QUOTE:
Given that there are only a handful of clubs with the stature to appeal to a star at his level, I don't find it all that surprising that none of that handful tried to get him since he so clearly wanted to play for Milan

isn't satirical?

I think Ronaldinho at this stage of his career would only consider playing for a top club, and the top club he wanted to play for was Milan. Why would that be satirical?

I just thought that "handful of clubs with the stature to appeal to a star at his level...none of that handful tried to get him since he so clearly wanted to play for Milan" was deliberately blowing the trumpet too hard for a club that hasn't even managed to scrape in to the enormously bloated Champions League this season.

It seems clear to everyone else that this is largely a stunt signing, you've already got Kaka, why would you want his predecessor who has been effectively out of serious football for nearly two years.