Oh what a cruel game predicting footballers next team is. Just when one think that the news could not be more certain, out of nowhere comes a third party and claims the player, cue the photo-op, please put your jersey on, and smile… It happens every year, every cycle: Colombian striker Radamel Falcao tweets he is the newest addition to Real Madrid, blink and there he is posing with the Manchester United Jersey. Every time.
Just a few weeks ago we speculated that Ronaldinho, musically-inclined, phenomenally-gifted Ronaldinho, was probably heading to the MLS. He might want to follow his compatriot Kaka to Orlando, or meet up with Thierry Henry at the New York Red Bulls. Suddenly, out of the blue, Ronaldinho is part of the Mexican Football League!
Wearing number 49 –his lucky number– Ronaldinho will be playing for Queretaro F.C.
Agora é oficial! Camiseta 49!! Meu número da sorte!! Espero repetir e viver as mesmas alegrias!! #SiempreGallos pic.twitter.com/ptwfUS83Kq
— Ronaldinho Gaúcho (@10Ronaldinho) September 6, 2014
Now, it’s good practice to say this right now: I am a rabid fan of the Gallos Blancos of Queretaro. So full disclosure, everything said from here on out is colored blue and black, the colors of our at home jersey.
Ours is not the championship-contender kind of team. It is not even the-occasionally-showing-promise-only-to-be-disappointed-once-again kind of team. Ours is the kind of team that has been disaffiliated more times than it has made the playoffs. Ours is the kind of team that openly discusses alternative funding strategies -such as collecting directly from fans on the street- and whose owners have been convicted criminals or phony european entrepreneurs. Then, without even a hint or a rumor to brace ourselves, it was announced that the new ownership, Grupo Imagen –part of one of the biggest media/hotel/hospital/ conglomerates in Mexico, had convinced Ronaldo de Assis Moreira to showcase his 34 year old talents in the Corregidora Stadium.
Ronaldinho wearing the blue and black is a huge deal, too big to believe really. Now, being realistic, he’ll probably give us a couple of memorable games –it is impossible to suppress all that talent– and he’ll more than certainly will sleepwalk through a couple more. Maybe he won’t play as much; “fitness issues” are usually the excuse. So we are thrilled to know that every other Friday –Gallos plays at home on Friday nights– at least we have the most talented player on the pitch.