“If any Premier League manager was asked if they wanted to sign someone who has been World Player of the Year twice they would be interested.”

Remarkably, those were the words of then-Blackburn boss Steve Kean in 2011, who sensationally came close to signing Ronaldinho from AC Milan for a nominal £6.2million fee.

The mercurial Brazilian is arguably the most entertaining player to have graced the beautiful game.

In his prime years at Barcelona, his flicks, tricks, feints and flawless technique lit up the the Camp Nou – where he struck 94 goals and added 71 assists in just 207 appearances, earning himself the Ballon d’Or in 2005.

He later moved to Milan, and although he showed glimpses of quality, he never produced the magic as consistently for the Italian giants.

And after three years with the Serie A Club, everyone wondered where Ronaldinho would end up next.

Unfortunately for the Premier League and the Ewood Park faithful, his proposed switch to Blackburn never materialised.

But what was the reason for Ronaldinho’s rapid decline following his move to Milan? We at talkSPORT.com have detailed exactly what went wrong for one of the all-time greats of the game…

The early signs of his decline became apparent during his final year at Barcelona.

Brazil’s superstar trio of Ronaldinho, Adriano and Kaka ultimately failed to deliver in the 2006 World Cup, where they were sent crashing out of the tournament by France in the quarter-finals.

And despite achieving his best goals and assists tallies at Barcelona in his last season, Ronaldinho’s professional obligation to train began to dwindle whilst his enjoyment of a night out became all the more frequent.

In fact, it is believed his indulgent lifestyle became so excessive that he was often drinking on the streets of Catalonia with friends until the early hours of the morning – and often the night before crucial league or Champions League matches.

But it wasn’t just his off-field exploits that saw his influence at Camp Nou deteriorate, it was also the emergence of Lionel Messi.

Whilst the Selecao’s main man was on the wane, the Argentine was emerging as one of the most exciting prospects in world football.

And it was when the latter grabbed his first Barca hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Real Madrid in 2007 many believed the apprentice had become the master.

Ronaldinho was no longer the untouchable member of the Blaugrana’s star-studded side.

In fact, he was very disposable – and that was crystal clear when Frank Rijkaard was dismissed and Pep Guardiola was handed the reigns at the club.

Ronaldinho and Deco were immediately axed by the new chief in town as Messi was cast into the spotlight – as explained by former Arsenal ace Alexander Hleb.

“Ronaldinho and Deco came to training drunk,” he told V OKA TV . “That’s why Ronaldinho and Deco were sold in 2008. Because they were afraid that they would bring down Lionel Messi.”

The emergence of the Argentine spelt the beginning of the end of Ronaldinho in his prime and he quickly sealed a £25m switch to Milan in 2008.

Despite being European champions at the time, it was clear Ronaldinho had left a team on the rise for one that was over the hill.

There were unquestionable moments of brilliance, but it was Carlo Ancelotti’s blunt assessment of the forward that ultimately summed up this period of his career.

“The decline of Ronaldinho hasn’t surprised me,” Ancelotti explained. “His physical condition has always been very precarious. His talent has never been in question though.”

In a dramatic and unlikely turn of events, Ronaldinho, who is still only 40 years old, is now strutting his stuff in a Paraguayan prison after allegedly attempting to enter the country with a fake passport.

He has already embarrassed his inmates by netting five goals in a match, whilst he has also taken part in a foot volley match. 

And while his demise from the world’s greatest footballer to a prisoner is tragic – it could have been predicted.

Ronaldinho had the world at his feet at the age of 26.

He had won the World Cup, Champions League, LaLiga, Copa America and the Ballon d’Or – is it really surprising that he lost his motivation to perform at the highest level?

Let’s hope he can learn his lesson this time so we remember only his golden day and not his misdemeanours.

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