A World Cup, Champions League and a Ballon dOr. The poster boy for sexy football of the mid-00s, as his elastics and mesmerising step-overs left defenders bamboozled and screaming for mercy. The Brazilians effortless touch, pinpoint accuracy and deliciously intricate manipulations of the football were a joy to behold. One of the scariest sights to behold in football was the prospect of the buck-toothed Barcelona star running at you. So really, how close were Middlesbrough to capturing the superstar? Incredibly seven years ago, just a year after Ronaldinho had inspired Barcelona to Champions League glory, and two years after his Ballon dOr triumph, the Teeside outfit were said to have lodged a bit for the Brazilian maestro. With AC Milan and Chelsea also having been in the hunt for his signature, this £10 million bid, as reported by Spanish newspapers, took the world of football by surprise. They certainly had form for pulling off South American coups, ala Juninho in 1995, but never on this scale. However, Boro had about as much chance of netting this Brazilian as Basingstoke Town did this summer. Ronaldinho may have already hit his peak, but he was still only 27 years old, and there was no way he was going sacrifice his huge way packet and European ambitions for a rainy English town whose football team were struggling to keep away from the mire of the relegation dogfight. Still, you cant blame their ambition. So that's a wrap - what do you think? Were these targets out of Middlesbrough's reach? Should they have aimed a little lower? As always, feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below.
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.
