The Messi-Ronaldinho Situation

It was Messi's fourth goal in the season and more importantly in matches that for some strange and yet-to-deciphered reasons had no Ronaldinho on the team sheet. A few days ago, "crisis" was the favourite keyword tapped on a computer keyboard but with Messi spearheading the Barca cause, a different note has now been established. All the off-pitch blame-game and mud throwing has been muscled into the attic of the Camp Nou cathedral and Barca are back to doing what they do best: play football and entertain. After all, football is something that is done on a 120 x 90 square metres area, not in a press conference.

But it's hard to ignore the messy Ronaldinho situation that is making the rounds in the Catalan newspapers at the moment. Since the World Cup in Germany in 2006, Ronaldinho's form has spiraled down with only the occasional punctuation marks to temper the free fall. All right, that was an exaggeration since even at a modest form, Ronaldinho's unparalleled class makes him the best footballer on the planet; but doubts on his future at the Catalan club have seared to the surface once again. It's not a matter of whether Ronaldinho wants to leave Barcelona or not; the question is whether the club wants him or not.

Highly ridiculous it must seem to all with sense that anyone would like to shoo someone even remotely resembling Ronaldinho out of the house, let alone getting rid of the actual man himself. Yet the Barcelona Board for one reason or another want to open the lid and let the Brazilian with the buckteeth worm out. A couple of years ago, this would have been labelled as the most severe instance of schizophrenia had the Barca men in suits come out and expressed their desire to walk out on Ronaldinho. He was then, and still is in the strict sense of the phrase, the best footballer in the world. But the pre-World Cup Ronaldinho was indispensable for the Catalan giants both spiritually and football-wise but this current version of Ronaldinho is one character that the Barcelona stage can well do without.

The reason for the apparent fall out of the angel from grace is still deeply immersed in mire. True, last season Ronaldinho had his first unproductive years in years and was even at one point featured in a hugely publicized row with teammate Samuel Eto'o but that's now in the past, isn't it? Scuffles and skirmishes crop all the time among teammates and these multimillionaire world-recognized players are not boys; they are grown-up men for Christ's sake! The new season is still in its infancy and the new-look Barcelona team is still settling. What could be the reason or reasons that have conceived chasms at Barcelona?