"Fear That Messi Might Be Corrupted by Insincere Attitude" Reason for Barcelona Releasing Ronaldinho

Former football player Ronaldinho. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Min Jun-young] Spain's La Liga club FC Barcelona revealed that the reason for transferring Ronaldinho (40, Brazil) 12 years ago was a measure to protect then-club prospect Lionel Messi (33, Argentina).

The British media outlet 'Daily Mail' reported on the 26th (Korean time), "Ronaldinho demonstrated outstanding skills that led Barcelona to the top of the UEFA Champions League."

The outlet continued, "However, Ronaldinho's performance declined after peaking in 2006 following the Champions League victory. His performance became inconsistent, and he showed irresponsible behavior by indulging in nightlife and other distractions."

According to the media, Ronaldinho especially cared for Messi, who was a 21-year-old prospect at the time, because they were both from South America.

Ultimately, the club pushed for Ronaldinho's transfer to separate the two players, and in July 2008, he donned the AC Milan jersey.

The media stated, "Bar?a was deeply troubled. They judged that Ronaldinho, the team's top player, could disrupt team discipline and break down the organization. They also lacked trust in then-coach Rijkaard, believing his style was not suited to control Ronaldinho."

Meanwhile, Ronaldinho was arrested by local police in March for entering Paraguay with a forged passport.

After paying bail and being released, he has been under house arrest since April.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.