13 Ekim 2009 Salı

Ronaldinho shines, but 'normal one' and leading contenders all stutter

1 Sep 2008:

Milan's new Brazilian stole the show on an opening Serie A weekend in which none of last season's top five earned more than a point, writes Paolo Bandini


Sometimes a little something gets lost in translation. "Niente drammi" - no big dramas - insisted the headline on the front page of Gazzetta dello Sport's website yesterday afternoon. It was a fair reflection of the Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti's assertion that nobody should read too much into his side's 2-1 defeat at home to Bologna. To suggest that the opening weekend's matches had been anything but dramatic, however, would be wholly inappropriate.

This, after all, was a weekend in which none of last season's top five earned more than a point, despite the fact that all but Fiorentina - who were playing Juventus - and Milan had taken first-half leads. A weekend in which Jose Mourinho and Ronaldinho, among others, made their Serie A debuts. A weekend in which last season's great underachievers, Lazio, recovered from a goal down with an hour gone to rout Cagliari 4-1 and finish round one top of the league.

Nobody seems quite sure what to make of it all this morning. "The giants are left to stand and watch," declares Gazzetta. "Gila puts the brakes on Juventus," exclaims the front page of Rome-based Corriere dello Sport. "Juve makes them afraid," bellows the gloriously one-eyed Turin daily Tuttosport.

All, however, are united in praise for Ronaldinho. After providing the cross from which Massimo Ambrosini headed home Milan's equaliser in the first half, Ronaldinho quite simply dominated the second. Pushed further wide on the left as Milan adjusted from 4-3-2-1 to 4-2-3-1, and granted far more support going forward as Gianluca Zambrotta was switched across from the right side of defence, he breezed past Cristian Zenoni again and again as he fizzed one delivery after another across the six-yard box.

In the end only a lack of familiarity with his team-mates' movements - on more than one occasion Ronaldinho's passes went unmet as they rolled across the area - and the profligacy of both Andriy Shevchenko and Filippo Inzaghi prevented Milan from winning at a canter. More even than the 15 crosses, or five shots that Ronaldinho contributed, however, it was his relentless enthusiasm - so often absent in his last year at Barcelona - that caught the eye. If he ever stopped grinning during his 90 minutes on the pitch, it must have been when the camera wasn't on him.

"Smiles and assists - Ronaldinho did what Ronaldinho does," writes Gazzetta's Luca Calamai today. "Even the most sceptical Milan fan's heart was warmed. The problem is that Milan did not do what Milan do. At least in the conclusive phase. The statistics say that Ancelotti's team had 22 shots at Antonioli's goal and that they missed six or seven easy-easy goals. Many mistakes, too many. They messed up a bit of everything."

The concern for Milan must be that - these days - this is exactly what Milan do. With Alberto Gilardino departed and off to a successful start with Fiorentina, there is no longer a ready-made scapegoat at the San Siro for an inability to convert domination into goals that cost them dear on several occasions last term. Zambrotta and Mathieu Flamini enjoyed strong debuts, but with Marco Borriello expected to be out for another month with a knee injury and Alexandre Pato still inconsistent, the pressure on Shevchenko to start scoring quickly is already intense.

The decision not to sign a new goalkeeper but simply to promote Christian Abbiati as the new first choice hasn't helped either, leaving fans to assert that Milan are yet to properly address their greatest area of weakness. Abbiati can hardly be faulted for either of Bologna's goals yesterday, but the fact remains that Bologna had only three shots on goal, and two of those finished in the net.

There are, to be fair, similar questions, for the other pretenders to the Scudetto crown. Mourinho was quickly dubbed the "normal one" by sections of the press, and many reporters have already accused him of showing a lack of tactical innovation after Inter's disjointed display against Samp. The signing of Ricardo Quaresma may help, but it must be said that on Saturday the Nerazzurri often looked no more than the collection of talented individuals they often appeared under Roberto Mancini. Juventus and Roma, meanwhile, may feel they suffered from the same lapses in concentration that cost them last year.

Fiorentina, meanwhile, once again look to have improved under Cesare Prandelli, but must shake off the inferiority complex that seems to play on their nerves in the biggest games. Despite finishing fourth last year, they won only one league game out of eight against Juventus, Milan, Roma and Inter.

Bologna, of course, have already matched that tally in their first game back in the top flight, leaving president Alfredo Cazzola to revel in a perfect departure from the club. Cazzola recently sold Bologna to the Menarini family, and is expected to be replaced by Francesca Menarini next week. She will become the league's second-ever female team president, after Roma's Rosella Sensi, who replaced her father Franco after his death two weeks ago.

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Milan secure Ronaldinho on the cheap as Barcelona pay for ham-fisted exit strategy

16 Jul 2008:

The transfer of Ronaldinho from Barcelona to Milan is expected to go through after a fee was agreed between the clubs

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Ronaldinho signs on at the San Siro

15 Jul 2008:

AC Milan have completed the signing of Barcelona's Brazilian star Ronaldinho in a deal worth around £14.5million

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Ronaldinho to be unveiled by Milan, claim reports

15 Jul 2008:

Milan are close to completing the signing of Ronaldinho from Barcelona, according to reports in Italy.

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Ronaldinho to decide his future in next 72 hours

15 Jul 2008:

The Ronaldinho transfer saga took a further twist with reports that he favours Man City over AC Milan

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Ronaldinho has turned down Manchester City, says Galliani

6 Jul 2008:

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani says Ronaldinho has rejected a lucrative offer from Manchester City

Career of Ronaldinho

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Ronaldinho And Ac Milan Fan Site

Milan survives a tough threat from Napoli

Napoli 0-0 Milan
Seria A 08-09 W29
Sunday March 22, 2009
San Paolo

Milan arrived at Naples expecting to put up a great show. The match was expected to be one-sided after the excellent form of Milan and their star players, after inflicting thrashings on Atalanta and Siena. However, things did not work as expected by Milan and were lucky to escape with a goalless draw.

The Sao Paolo stadium at Napoli was known for doing in giant teams. Nevertheless, only a few expected a similar thing to happen against Milan because of the terrific form of Inzaghi, Pato and a few others.

The match did not see many goal scoring opportunities on either sides of the pitch. Milan concentrated hard on their defense and midfield while Napoli counterattacked with their strong attacking play. The only close chance came when Napoli’s Marek Hamsik netted one past Milan’s goalkeeper. However, the goal was disallowed due to a wrong offside call.

Milan did not make even a single shot at the target during the full 90 minutes of play. It was a below par performance by the leading striker Inzaghi. Later during the day, Milan’s manager, Adriano Galliani expressed that he was more than just happy to go away with a single point from the hard fought draw.

Milan was rather lucky to escape from the determined Napoli. If it were not for the disallowed goal, Milan would have ended up on the other side of the table. Milan would look to cling on to the third spot with nine matches left to be played for the season.

The day ended on a negative note after a group of agitated Napoli fans attacked Galliani’s car that was stationed outside the Sao Paolo stadium.
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Ronaldinho rescues Milan as Juve crash

Juventus missed the chance to reclaim top spot as they were surprisingly beaten 2-0 by Palermo. Edinson Cavani put the hosts in front after 37 minutes and Fabio Simplicio made it two five minutes later as the Bianconeri slumped to their third league loss of the season.

Juve's shock defeat meant Sampdoria joined Inter Milan at the top of the table despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Parma. Giampaolo Pazzini fired Samp in front midway through the first half, but the lead was cancelled out soon after by Daniele Galloppa.

Fiorentina stay two points behind Sampdoria after being held to a goalless draw by Lazio. The Viola came into the game full of confidence following their convincing defeat of Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League in midweek but, despite dominating for long spells, they were unable to claim the win.

AC Milan's uninspiring start to the season continued as they picked up only a point from their trip to struggling Atalanta. Leonardo's team needed an 83rd-minute goal from Ronaldinho to earn them a 1-1 draw against a team who played more than 50 minutes of the contest with ten men.

Former Lecce striker Simone Tiribocchi put Atalanta ahead, but six minutes before half-time they were reduced to ten men when Ivan Radovanovic picked up a second yellow card for a foul on Alexandre Pato.

Genoa returned to winning ways after a three-game drought with a 3-1 victory at Bologna. Houssine Kharja and Giuseppe Sculli gave the visitors a 2-0 lead at the interval, but they lost Giandomenico Mesto to a red card early in the second half and the home team responded. Marco Di Vaio pulled a goal back from the penalty spot in the 85th minute, but Alberto Zapater sealed the win in the last minute.

Brace for Totti
Francesco Totti struck twice as Roma came from behind to beat Napoli 2-1. The Roma captain scored his first in the 37th minute to cancel out Ezequiel Lavezzi's opener. Totti then grabbed the winner shortly after the hour mark.

Cagliari's search for a first home victory in Serie A this season goes on after they lost 2-1 to Chievo. Alessandro Matri put the Sardinian side in front in the 38th minute, but Michele Marcolini equalised three minutes later. Marcolini struck again in the 70th minute to hand Chievo all three points.

Siena failed to make the most of a golden opportunity to claim their first home win of the season as they were held to a goalless draw by basement boys Livorno.

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Ronaldinho, soccer star

Renowned for his trademark smile and ability to score jaw-dropping goals, the charismatic Brazilian Ronaldinho was voted FIFA World Player of the Year in December 2004.

A World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002, he inspired his team Barcelona to the Spanish title in 2004-2005.

A hero of Brazil’s “favelas”, or shanty towns, whose father died when he was just eight, Ronaldinho grew up in an impoverished quarter of Porto Alegre, in the south of the country.

The family’s fortunes were transformed when his older brother Roberto was signed by the local soccer club.

As a WFP Ambassador Against Hunger, Ronaldinho will use the same uplifting passion that enables him to inspire both teammates and fans to draw attention to the plight of the 300 million hungry children around the world.

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ronaldinho magazine

NUTRILITE, the world’s leading brand of vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements, proudly sponsors Ronaldinho (born Ronaldo de Assís Moreira), a world class Brazilian football player who currently plays for AC Milan and the Brazilian national team. Ronaldinho helps make the most of what nature gave him through the use of Nutrilite products, and as a member of TEAM NUTRILITE, he works hard to achieve his potential, daily.

A cornerstone of the partnership includes Ronaldinho’s appointment as the Nutrilite Global Spokesperson for the Amway One by One campaign for children, which was celebrated with a $900,000 donation by Amway Europe to UNICEF. This partnership builds on a shared passion for helping children achieve their potential.

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12 Ekim 2009 Pazartesi

ronalinho honours

FIFA World Cup (2002)
FIFA Confederations Cup (2005)
Copa América (1999)
UEFA Champions League (2006)
Olympic Bronze medal (2008)
Intertoto Cup (2001)
U-17 World Cup (1997)
Spanish League (2005, 2006)
Rio Grande do Sul State Championship (1999)
Spanish Supercup (2005, 2006)
Confederations Cup MVP (1999)
Confederations Cup Top Scorer (1999)
Rio Grande do Sul State Championship Top Scorer (1999)
Champions League MVP (2006)
FIFA World Player of the Year (2004, 2005)
European Footballer of the Year (2005)
FIFPro World Player of the Year 2005, 2006