Ronaldinho thrives…with a little help from his friends

October 20, 2008

“So we didn’t make a mistake after all,” quipped AC Milan owner and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi after Ronaldinho scored twice in the 3-0 win over Sampdoria on Sunday.

The Brazilian, who went badly off the boil in his final two seasons at Barcelona, has also had an inconsistent start to his San Siro career after a 21 million euro move.

The doubters (ie. Inter Milan fans) quickly asserted that the mercurial talent had lost his magical powers for good.

On Sunday, he proved them wrong by rediscovering the most precious commodity in football — confidence.

Being left out of the Brazil squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Colombia did him a world of good as it allowed him to concentrate on improving his fitness in training.

In truth though it was compatriot Kaka, who did jet off with Brazil, that helped him the most against Samp.

It was 0-0 when ‘Ricky’ came on as a substitute at halftime and he quickly galvanized Milan, playing a lovely pass to Ronaldinho for his second goal.

“I must thank my team mates. They have helped a lot,” Ronaldinho said.

Now maybe humility is as precious as confidence.

PHOTO: AC Milan’s Ronaldinho celebrates after scoring against Sampdoria in their Serie A soccer match at the San Siro Oct. 19. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

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