Ronaldinho has admitted that he came tantalisingly close to joining Manchester City over the summer.
Brazilian superstar predicts exciting times ahead for Blues
Ronaldinho has admitted that he came tantalisingly close to joining Manchester City over the summer.
The Brazilian was tracked by the Blues for the majority of pre-season, with speculation suggesting the Premier League outfit were favourites to land the former Fifa World Player of the Year.
After seeing Ronaldinho fall out of favour at Barcelona, City spent months attempting to broker a deal for the talismanic playmaker.
They would ultimately lose out to Italian giants AC Milan, but Ronaldinho has revealed that a move to England did appeal to him.
Brilliant
"My brother spoke to Manchester City many times," the 28-year-old told
FourFourTwo magazine.
"Their project is the kind that would interest any player - they could soon be among the best sides in England.
"Lots of brilliant players are heading in their direction and yes, my brother looked properly at their offer.
"But Silvio Berlusconi [Milan owner] had been saying for years that he would like to sign me and I felt in the end that it was the right time to say yes."
Adapted
Had Ronaldinho opted to move to Eastlands, he would have found himself lining up alongside a number of his compatriots.
Elano, Jo and Robinho have helped to bring Brazilian brilliance to Manchester, with City hoping Latin flair will lead them to glory.
While Robinho and Elano have settled well into Premier League life, Jo has struggled to adapt to the rigours of top-flight action following a summer switch from CSKA Moscow.
However, Blues boss Mark Hughes is confident the 21-year-old will prove to be a shrewd acquisition once he rediscovers his touch in front of goal.
Struggle
"He is a young player who has come into a stronger league than he has been used to," said the City coach.
"It takes time and it is harder for forwards to integrate straight away. Robinho has been able to adapt quicker but he is a more experienced player.
"Jo has found it a little bit of a struggle but he is working hard in training. He will get better."
