OFFICIAL: Milan sign Ronaldinho - squad number 80!

[skeeta]

This may actually happen this week, but for it do so, the gap between Milan's offer and Man City's will need to be less than the current 22 million euro.

Well, the meetings are over, and Barca have said that they will take a few days to consider the offers (from Man City and Milan). But la Gazzetta are putting a lot of faith in the fact that Dinho and his brother are currently in the pool at the Juan Carlos with Galliani, and have shaken hands.

[Trim]

Official: Ronaldinho To Milan

Milan have confirmed the signing of Barcelona superstar Ronaldinho.

Reads a statement released by Milan: "AC Milan and FC Barcelona have reached an agreement for the transfer of Ronaldinho.

"Tomorrow, the player will be in Milan for the medical ,and to sign the contract which will tie him to Milan until June 30th 2011."

This announcement brings to an end months of speculation over the Brazilian's future.

He has been on the outer at Barcelona pretty much since El Clasico in December, with his private life, his fitness and his bulging waistline making more headlines than his performances on the pitch.

Full report to follow...

Goal.com - AC Milan - Official: Ronaldinho To Milan

[azzurri]

He is still in his prime. With the motivation of moving clubs, he will get back in to shape as well. Milan just got alot scarier.

[Trim]

Yeah, I've said the same. He just need a change of the ambient.

Great signing, to be honest.

[skeeta]

Milan clearly see a major media boost in having Dinho for the opening of training at Milanello tomorrow, and it looks like Silvio has told Galliani that he couldn't come home empty-handed. Galliani certainly asked Uncle Silvio for some wasteful spending money.

He obviously prefers to go to Milan than Manchester, I bet Laporta still has nightmares about turning Roman Abramovich offer down.

Will be an interesting redemption story to watch. I hope they've locked all the minibars and blocked Adriano's mobile number.

[D-Kin]

They won't be getting that world class striker now then...

Lets see if they can this waster in shape because he's been completely off the radar for at least the past season and a half.

And they've signed him despite not having CL football this year, very lucky.

[D-Kin]

I'm hearing the fee is around £16m...

A 15% pay cut for Ronaldinho as well.

[Vargas_4]

I don't think he'll make a comeback.

Maybe with being with some of his countrymen, he'll feel a bit comfortable and all but he just seems so lazy lately. And his party ways aren't gonna go away, IMO.

What he needs is a coach to make him cut the bullshit. Not a "friend" coach who will advise him not to do certain things. But someone to come in and simply say "fuck no... you're not leaving the gym 'till you've done 400 push-ups" or something. After this whole process, he may see that besides having the skill, he has to keep at it to be "sharp". Then the "friend-respect" relationship would start with the coach that made him stay and work his ass off.

But i don't see Ancelotti as that kind of coach. I think he'll try to be patience and hope that the dude stops doing what he's doing. But i think we'll end up seeing Dinho partying with Adriano and Ronaldo, if he comes back.

[hk_on99]

Do Milan enjoy having a team of players who are past their best?

I don't think Ronaldinho will ever get back to the form he had when he was at his best, but he will still be a very good player.

[D-Kin]

[Jager]

kind of funny to be honest. I wonder what he is thinking in those pics?

[skeeta]

I think there is an open question as to whether his own best interests and those of Milan are congruent, especially in the long term.

There is a Wag the Dog element to this transfer.

I don't think he is an alcholic. I do think that he may have lost the edge that made him what he was, but none of us know (and neither do Barca or Milan).

Berlusconi has some history of creating media events of various sorts when he is under pressure politically. I think that the huge wave of mostly positive publicity he's gotten out of this (including things like exclusive interviews and the like) entered into his personal calculus. He's also always been Ronaldinho's biggest fan among the Milan management.

I am much more interested in seeing how this plays out on the field than in any conjecture about how much the guy drinks. There is also a pretty wide range of opinion among the serious Milanisti that I talk regularly as to their reactions to the transfer. The bandwagon fans are all very excited, but the diehards wonder whether he was the kind of player the club needed at this point in time.

[Jager]

That is pretty much what I've heard from the Milanista that I have talked too also.

They definitely don't lack creativity now. And its really surprising that he has given up on CL football for one year at least.

I guess in retrospect, Ronny had no choice really other than Milan. He wasn't going to choose City at any cost.

No interest in him, other than Milan.

[LaVecchiaSignora]

I think hes going to supirse people...i think hes going to be a lot better then people are expecting him to play...especially if he is more comfortable on this team then he was at barca for whatever reason....

[LAF]

The other issue that isn't being discussed is where they will play Kaka with Ronaldinho.

Brazil have had the problem and both haven't clicked like some would hope.