By IVES GALARCEP
The Brazilian superstar so many Major League Soccer fans were hoping to one day see playing in MLS has agreed to set up shop just south of the border.
Queretaro has secured the services of Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldinho, announcing the signing on Friday night. The move comes after weeks of speculation about where the former FC Barcelona and AC Milan star would wind up. Rumors of a potential move to MLS fizzled over the summer, but Ronaldinho has now completed a move to play in Liga MX.
Ronaldinho confirmed the move on his Twitter account, writing the following tweet, which translated from Portuguese said he chose Mexico because of the affection he always received there, and that he is very motivated to represent Queretaro:
Escolhi o Mexico pelo carinho que sempre recebi aqui. Muito motivado para representar o @Club_Queretaro. Obrigado @OlegarioVazquez!!
— Ronaldinho Gaúcho (@10Ronaldinho) September 6, 2014
Ronaldinho, 34, has been a free agent since leaving Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro in July, and at time it appeared he would be moving on to a bigger club, but after a little more than a month of testing the international waters, Ronaldinho has settled on Queretaro, which is currently in mid-table in Liga MX, with one of the lower-scoring offenses in the league.
When he first became available, I asked the question of whether the New York Red Bulls should sign the Brazilian star, and the consensus among Red Bulls fans was that the team should, but sources tell SBI the Red Bulls were never in discussions with Ronaldinho, and never seriously considered signing him.
It should be noted that Queretaro is the same club that once announced the signing of Brazilian forward and former MLS Golden Boot winner Camilo Sanvezzo only to have it emerge that he was still under contract to the Vancouver Whitecaps. Queteraro eventually bought Sanvezzo from the Whitecaps via transfer. Queretaro also claimed to have signed U.S. Men’s National Team defender DaMarcus Beasley once, only for that announcement to be proven false.
This time around though, it looks as though Queretaro have their hands on a superstar.
What do you think of this development? Disappointed to not see Ronaldinho in MLS? Glad to see him go to Liga MX?
Share your thoughts below?