VIDEO: Ronaldinho's terrible miss vs Bangu

Brazilian Ronaldinho was at his best one of the top footballers in the world, but yesterday's miss for his side Flamengo Rio de Janeiro in the Carioca encounter against Bangu has been termed in Brazil as April fools.

The incident happened in the 24th minute when Ronaldinho got a rebound off the Bangu keeper but with an open net infront of him the former Barca star simply blast over. And the Brazilian TV channel has a real go at Ronaldinho showing the miss from different angles and even in a 3D animation.

Blackburn Rovers bid for Ronaldinho

When I first heard the rumour that English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers are interested in Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho I thought about a public relations gimmick from the clubs new Indian owners Venky's, but it now looks to be a serious attempt by the club to sign the former superstar. Still one will have to see if the first attempt in a star signing succeeds or not.

Still the whole episode looks a little weird. When the rumours first surfaced the club denied any truth in the story, but then the owners came out with a statement stating their interest and since then they have mentioned that Ronaldinho has been offered close to 25 Million Euros as salary for a three year contract.

The Venky's through their Brazilian set-up are in touch with the players agent and have made an offer to AC Milan, but Ronaldinho himself is currently in Brazil and has numerous offers there from clubs like Flamengo and Palmeiras plus his former club Gremio Porto Alegre, who were the original front-runners to sign him.

And Ronaldinho isn't the only high profile target. Like numerous other English Premier League clubs Blackburn Rovers are also trying to sign former England captain Davivd Beckham on a short term loan deal, but the question remains if Beckham will return to England to play for a few weeks.

AC Milan: Cassano in, Ronaldinho out

Italian giants AC Milan are currently top of Serie A and have made it into the Pre-Quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, but in recent weeks their performance hasn't been the best and the club is looking to strengthen the team further in the winter transfer period. Upfront the club brought in Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer, but have had oldie Filippo Inzaghi and youngster Pato mainly on the injury list while Ronaldinho has seen little match action.

Now the club is set to exchange players for the second half of the season. Italy's 'enfante terrible' Antonio Cassano has been confirmed as an addition to the Milan squad joining the Rossoneri from Serie A rivals Sampdoria Genoa, while Brazilian Ronaldinho seems to be on his way out with him moving further down the pecking order with Cassano joining Milan in January when the transfer list opens.

Milan president Silvio Berlusconi, who is also Italian prime minister, said: "Yes. We will be signing Cassano. I am also very happy with how the side are playing."

Cassano isn't the easiest of characters, actually he was suspended and then fired by Sampdoria after abusing club president Riccardo Garrone, but the club couldn't fire the outlaw and were looking to get rid of the striker. In Milan Cassano is set to sign a contract until 2014, but is said to get less then the 2,8 Million Euros he was receiving in Genoa. And Sampdoria will have to share the 5 Million Euros transfer fee with Real Madrid, the former club of Cassano who still hold a stake in the player.

Coming to speak about Ronaldinho Silvio Berlusconi said, "It is a shame for Ronaldinho. At the moment, he has not been playing well or training as well as he can."

With Cassano coming in it means it could be the end of the road for Ronaldinho. And his home club of Gremio Porto Alegre along with rivals Flamengo and Palmeiras are interested to bring the former Brazilian international back to his home country, but there is also interest from the English side Manchester City and MLS club LA Galaxy.

Gremio president Paulo Odone see's his club at an advantage and told Brazilian daily Zero Hora, "Ronaldinho feels that he owes our club something. He told us he wants to return to Gremio and end his career where it started. There are conversations going on and a very good chance that the move will go through."

Ronaldinho to return for Brazil

Brazil coach Mano Menezes has recalled AC Milan star Ronaldinho for the prestigious friendly against Argentina in Doha, Qatar next month. The 30 year old makes a return to the Selecao after an 18 month absence, which also saw him miss the 2010 FIFA World Cup as former national coach Dunga did not consider Ronaldinho as needed.

The performances of Ronaldinho for the Rossoneri have not gone unnoticed, but one will have to see if Ronaldinho can recreate the magic that made him one of the stars in the Selecao many years back. And Menezes said, "He is a player in good form in a position we need. We want to see the Ronaldinho who was admired as one of the best in the world."

Mano Menezes has once more called-up a young squad which does include a number of experienced players. Mano Menezes has also recalled talented teenager Neymar after dropping him for the October friendlies against Iran and Ukraine for disciplinary reasons.


Brazil

Goalkeepers
Victor (Gremio) Jeferson (Botafogo), Neto (Atletico Paranaense)

Defenders
Daniel Alves (FC Barcelona), Rafael (Manchester United), Adriano Correa (FC Barcelona), Andre Santos (Fenerbahce Istanbul), Thiago Silva (AC Milan), David Luiz (Benfica Lisbon), Alex Costa (FC Chelsea), Rever (Atletico Mineiro)

Midfielders
Lucas (FC Liverpool), Ramires (FC Chelsea), Sandro (Tottenham Hotspurs), Jucilei (Corinthians), Douglas (Gremio), Philippe Coutinho (Internationale Milan), Ronaldinho (AC Milan), Elias (Corinthians)

Forwards
Robinho (AC Milan), Alexandre Pato (AC Milan), Andre (Dynamo Kiev), Neymar (FC Santos)

Coach
Mano Menezes

World Cup - Players to be missed

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is just a few days away and we will be missing a number of the worlds leading footballers due to different reasons. Some are injured, while others were simply not selected by their national coaches.

Every participating nation has their own baggage to carry when it comes to players missing or having been left out. Some will be missed more, while others less but for all these players the dream of playing a World Cup has been dashed, be it their first or maybe their last.

I have put together my personal Top Five who I would be missing from the upcoming World Cup. And the reasons are as different as they can get.


1. David Beckham (England)

This would have been David Beckham's final World Cup and the poster boy of world football will be missed on a number of fronts. Maybe more as a media and marketing star, then in the English midfield as his best playing days are behind him, but Beckham is a phenomenon which is difficult to explain. You either like him or hate him. Over the years I have been amongst those who liked Beckham with all his limitations as a footballer, but the machinery behind him has taken personal marketing of a sporting superstar to a whole new level.
I remember seeing Beckham going down while playing for AC Milan in March 2010 realising his World Cup dream being over. A torn Achilles tendon ended all hopes.

2. Michael Ballack (Germany)

Germany will surely miss their captain and midfield engine Ballack. Like Beckham it was set to be Ballack's last World Cup and also his likely last chance of winning a major international title with Germany though Ballack has since said he will play on until Euro2012 as he would like to end his international career on a high.
Ballack is one of the most successful midfielders of our times, but he has failed to win continental and global titles with his club sides and Germany. He is seen as the personified runners-up. Be it with Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Chelsea FC he finished runners-up in the UEFA Champions League plus finished second at Euro2008 with Germany.
Ballack was unlucky that Kevin Prince Boateng went into him the way he did in the English FA Cup final on May 15. Initially it was thought that he had overstretched his ligaments, but in the end it was a tear, which meant an eight week break.

3. Ronaldinho (Brazil)

A few years ago Ronaldinho was one of the best players in the world. But then came Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, suddenly people weren't interested that much in Ronaldinho and the player had problems at FC Barcelona which forced him to move on to AC Milan. And it seemed Ronaldinho's best days were behind him, but the Brazilian had a strong season for Milan which started discussions back home about a possible return, but coach Carlos Dunga never ever thought about bringing Ronaldinho back nor other former stars like Ronaldo and Adriano.
Dunga has his clear cut views about his team and its composition, and players like Ronaldinho don't find a place in it. It also shows the unbelievable talent pool the Brazilians have if they can leave such players out with other options.

4. Michael Essien (Ghana)

Ghana will miss the services of their influential midfielder Michael Essien, who would have led the Black Stars from the front like in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. But for Essien 2010 hasn't been the best of years as he injured himself in the 2010 African Cup of Nations and couldn't play for his club Chelsea FC thereafter. And now he will be forced to miss the first FIFA World Cup on African soil. A loss surely to Ghana, but also us football fans as Ghana without an inform Essien is surely not as strong and competitive.

5. France

With the French team I couldn't decide on whom to name amongst the players coach Raymond Domenech has left out. The L'Equipe Tricolore under Domenech is a surprise package as you never know what will come out then on a good day they can beat anyone, on a bad day they can lose against anyone.
Likewise the logic behind Domenech's selection is often not understood. Players like Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, Marseille striker Hatem Ben Arfa and former captain Patrick Viera have not made the squad. One will have to see if Domenech can achieve something with his team in his last tournament in charge. If not then the players selection could come back to haunt him.


But these aren't the only players missing out on the World Cup. Argentina coach Diego Armando Maradona didn't pick Champions League winners Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti besides others, while Luca Toni and Francesco Totti will not defend the title for Italy, and Orange coach Bert van Marwijk didn't pick Ruud van Nistelrooy.

And then there are the star players of nations which didn't qualify for the World Cup. Amongst them Peter Cech (Czech Republic), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria) and Andrei Arshavin (Russia).


Do you agree with me? Or do you think other players will be missed more in South Africa.