Ronaldinho, the former ace Brazilian footballer, has terminated his contract with Atletico Mineiro all of a sudden. The decision to cancel the agreement was apparently mutual but Brazilian pro did not reveal the actual reason for his quick leaving Estádio Independência side. The 34-year-old midfielder is proudly named among the finest midfielders of all time with his glorious record playing for both his clubs and national side including his two FIFA World Player of the Year titles he won back to back in 2004 and 2005. He played the last game with Argentina’s Lanus and won comfortably as well, and according to some teammates, he had said goodbye them during the game itself. This is usually uncommon to see player of his caliber is becoming a free agent that is why his agent and brother have hinted his next contract for another side would be materialized very soon.
Rumors are in the air that he demanded a hike in the salary which club refused to offer considering his age and form in recent months and after getting a negative response; former Paris Saint-Germain player decided to leave the side although he did not say anything on any platform either against his side or his former bosses. What he said in his Tweeter feed, is, “Galo (Atletico Mineiro) will always be in my heart.”
Meanwhile, team coach Levir Culpi also asked his team to move on and talked about the departure during an interview given to a news source where he said, “I can’t call on Ronaldinho anymore. His cycle with us has ended.
“It’s unfortunate because he’s an idol to all of us. Everyone loves his football, the way he plays and he’s a very charismatic person. But that’s the way it goes. He’s leaving and we must move on without him.”
It has actually become a norm these days that an age old player, irrespective of his record, is of no value for his club, hence he is either treated like a surplus asset or being offered rather drastic terms if he wants to continue playing soccer. It seems to be as well happening with Ronaldinho and it is highly unlikely any side would sign him to play in the matches; however, he can serve in a different role as many others do at this stage of professional career. Mineiro striker Jô revealed the indication he got during the last game and said, “I didn’t speak with him after the (last) win, but everything indicates that it was his last match. The way he said goodbye to everybody gave that impression.”