How Ronaldinho Saved Barcelona

Filed in archive Ronaldinho on May 15, 2006

It's worth remembering that before Ronaldinho, Barcelona hadn't won a league title since 1999. They were a club in serious trouble, and if it hadn't been for someone having a very bad day at the office in Real Madrid's marketing department and deciding David Beckham was the better option because of his nicer hair (and in fairness, face) then things could be even worse at the Nou Camp right now.

Instead, Barca have just won their second consecutive La Liga and have a Champion's League final to look forward to. Barca's willingness to build a team around the buck-toothed Brazilian, coupled with his always smiling approach helped everyone involved with Barcelona to relax and enjoy the ride, saving a major European club from a stress induced meltdown.

The above video (with fantastisch German commentary) shows probably the high point of Ronaldinho's La Liga career: a performance so good it earned a standing ovation form the Real Madrid faithful.

If Barca win the Champion's League this week I think it's fair to call their capture of Ronaldinho the best big money transfer in history.