“It is fantastic news for the club and for me. We could not
sign a better player, I genuinely mean that. I imagine
Ronaldinho will play in the hole behind the main striker and
that is exactly what we need. The manager has been looking
for that type of player since he tried to sign Paolo di
Canio 18 months ago. Now it looks like we are close to
getting the best in the business. Ronaldinho is a
sensational player and I am so excited. It is obvious a
player like this will only make the team better. He will
help us in the Premiership and he will give us a better
chance to go all the way in the Champions League.”
Ronaldinho’s former youth coach, Marcio Maximo, said
yesterday:
"Ronaldinho is a very good player who I worked with at youth
level. He represents another generation of Brazilian
football after Ronaldo. He has great technical ability, he
is highly creative and he would be a very good signing for
Manchester United.
"He showed with his goal against England what he is capable
of. People said that it was lucky, but it wasn't. He saw the
opportunity and he took it."
Zinedine Zidane is impressed too:
"Ronaldinho is total class - a very, very great player. He
is quick, powerful and has extraordinary technical
qualities. He is a dribbler but is also a player who can
make the play for his team-mates. He's not really a No10, a
true organiser. He's more a second attacker who can score
goals and has the vision to make them - not to mention his
ability with free-kicks."
Former Brazil coach Mario Zagallo said:
"He has shown himself to be very gifted from childhood. The
chrysalis has become a butterfly, physically and
technically. He's the kind of kid who catches the eye when
he's playing with his pals on waste ground. The bumps and
the holes are a serious handicap for others but not for
those who are chosen by the gods.
"Now when those prodigies start playing on good pitches, the
technical gap gets even wider. Obviously he has taken time
to adapt to different training methods and cultures since
coming to Europe. But that's over now. He's ready to go."
Brazilian legend Zico:
"Ronaldinho took me as a model when he was young and often
quotes my name. I am proud to have been an example for him.
He plays practically in my position but in a different style
because of his bigger size and love for great pushes
forward.
"He loses nothing in subtlety and vision when he bursts
through. He'll dynamite any defence when he prowls just
within the limits of offside and then says goodbye to the
opposition."
United target Daniel van Buyten:
"Ronaldinho is very hard to stop because his game is
impossible to read. He never makes the same feint twice in a
row. Even when I'd watched several videos of him he was
still hard to counter. He is simply too unpredictable and
sharp. You have to stick close to him because he doesn't
like hard contact. He ought to guard against taking the
mickey out of his opponents as well.”