If a club stumps up £32.5 million and £160,000 p/wk for a player, the least they would hope for is a bit of effort on the recipient's part. Following his press conference gaffe in September 2008, when he mistakenly stated that he had 'accepted Chelsea's proposal', it was probably no surprise that the former Galactico only had eyes for the pound signs at Eastlands. An enthusiastic first season reaped 14 league goals, as he finished as the club's top scorer, but there would be no more goals following the season's close. In the summer of 2009, Robinho's South American clique began to disintegrate around him, with the sales of Elano and Jo, so it was perhaps no coincidence that his performances began wane dramatically. A court case had been hanging over his head for five months, following his arrest over an alleged rape in January 2009, before the charges were eventually dropped. During the same month, Robinho had angrily reacted to international compatriot Kaka's collapsed transfer to the club, storming out of the club's Tenerife training camp. Following months of vapid and soulless displays, traipsing around the pitch, the incoming Roberto Mancini put an end to the constant pandering to the talented South American, substituting him 52 minutes after he had put him on as a replacement at Goodison Park in January 2010. Simply stating that 'it is not all about Robinho', the disgruntled Brazilian quickly ended his Manchester nightmare by hopping on a plane back to Santos on a six-month loan.
''Maybe if I had gone to another club, it would have been better for me.'' - Robinho, February 2010.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
