Ronaldo! (yes, that Ronaldo)

By: dylan | December 9th, 2008

I’ve been away from this blog for a really long time, thanks to the happy combination of work, debt, and illness. I missed a lot of big stories — some of which Bruno and Daryl were kind enough to cover — but there’s no way I’m letting this one pass:

Corinthians’ star signing for 2009 is Ronaldo. Yes, that Ronaldo. “I’ll just go with a muumuu” Ronaldo.

Right… so… my thoughts?

First, the blindingly obvious: this has marketing written all over it. There were other, more down-to-earth names being tossed around as our new number 9 — like Kléber Pereira from Santos, or Brandão from Shakhtar Donetsk. Those would be solid, prudent signings, but this is the kind of risky, gloriously mad deal that a cash-strapped club makes to sell a crapton of shirts. And — oh, look! They’re already on sale at the club store. Just R$169,90 (US$68.67).

But I don’t want to be hard on the guy. Ronaldo Fenômeno is an easy target these days, with his weight gain and (ahem) colorful personal life. But we all know what he’s capable of on the pitch — or at least what he’s been capable of — and it says a lot that he’s still trying to play. As Corinthians’ vice-president of marketing said to journalist Juca Kfouri:

He wants [to play in] the 2010 World Cup. If he just wanted money he’d go to Manchester City or to the Arab world, where the offers are stratospheric. If he just wanted to enjoy life, he’d stay at Flamengo, with the marvels of Rio. But he’s willing to let go of money and show that he wants to come back for real. [...] And if he returns to playing 30% of what he’s played in the past, he’ll be the best in the country in his position once again.

I know all the counterarguments. Willpower can only get you so far after three career-ending injuries. He’s got a lot of work to do before he’s even close to fit, never mind the state of his knees. Milan took a chance on him last year, and they got burned. This could be a big, fiery, disastrous Hindenburg of hype. A few months from now, the Corinthians management might feel like they just ~~took home a bunch of hookers in a drunken haze only to find out they’re really du–~~ like they just made an expensive mistake.

But screw it, if we’re the ones taking the plunge, let’s hope it works out. Ronaldo is a legend, and the Brazilian league rewards positioning and opportunism over youth and pace. There’s a reason that Romário was the league’s top scorer at age 39. If o Fenômeno is serious about coming back — if he takes it seriously that he’s playing for a team like Corinthians, and his body can keep up with his desire to play — he’ll be he best striker in the league by a country mile. I wish him all the best.

And what else would turn the world’s attention towards Corinthians v. Barueri on January 21? That’s his first official game for Corinthians, folks. If you’re in New York, I’ll see you at Nevada Smith’s. Otherwise, you can catch the game ~~on Justin.tv~~ in my write-up here on the Offside.