THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAO PAULO, Brazil — Ronaldinho reached an agreement with AC Milan to officially cut ties with the Italian club on Thursday, clearing the way for his return to Brazil.
Ronaldinho did not announce his new club, however, and three Brazilian teams remain in contention to sign the two-time FIFA player of the year — Palmeiras, Flamengo and former club Gremio.
Ronaldinho said there is "nothing decided" regarding his future, but reiterated that he wants to play in Brazil.
"We reached an agreement with Milan and now I’m free to continue my life here in Brazil," Ronaldinho said.
Ronaldinho’s brother and agent, Roberto Assis, said negotiations on the playmaker’s future could last until early next week.
In a news conference alongside Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani in Rio de Janeiro, the 30-year-old Ronaldinho said he is grateful for his "wonderful" time with the Italian club.
Galliani said through a translator that he is sad to see Ronaldinho leave and will remain in Brazil until the player chooses his new club and finalizes his transfer from Milan.
"He will decide what is best for him and will communicate his decision to Milan," Galliani said. "If indeed he decides to leave, it will be very painful to (Milan president and Italian Premier Silvio) Berlusconi, who believes he is the best player in the world."
Assis said the deal with AC Milan does not allow Ronaldinho to transfer to another Italian club.
The agent said he will continue negotiating with the Brazilian clubs, and Ronaldinho’s desire to play in his home country has eliminated English Premier League side Blackburn Rovers from the race to sign the playmaker.
Ronaldinho had said Gremio was his first choice in his return to Brazilian football. It was at the Porto Alegre club that the playmaker started his professional career in 1998, and where he played in youth squads since age seven.
"It’s hard to make a decision like this," Ronaldinho told nearly 100 journalists in his much-anticipated news conference. "All clubs have their own history."
Outside the Copacabana Palace hotel where Ronaldinho spoke, some Flamengo fans chanted loudly to try to convince the player to pick their club. Ronaldinho has said that he would like to play for Brazil’s most popular club at some point in his career and former Brazil teammates such as Adriano have encouraged him to join the team currently coached by Vanderlei Luxemburgo.
Galliani said jokingly that he personally would like to see Ronaldinho play for Flamengo.
Palmeiras coach Luiz Felipe Scolari also was reportedly trying to persuade the player, who helped him win the 2002 World Cup with Brazil. Palmeiras said it had made the best offer financially, but club directors said the decision would ultimately come down to Ronaldinho, and his personal ties with Gremio could play a significant role.
Blackburn came in as a late contender for Ronaldinho, but the player had already made up his mind about returning to Brazil to try to revamp his career, following in the footsteps of Adriano and Ronaldo.
Ronaldo posted on Twitter that Ronaldinho would be the happiest if he actually chose to play for his Corinthians team.
Ronaldinho still wants to play in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and hopes that a successful return to Brazilian football will help him reach that goal.
He won consecutive FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2004 and 2005 while with Barcelona and led the Spanish club to the Champions League title in 2006.
But after leaving Barcelona to join AC Milan in 2008, Ronaldinho struggled to establish himself at the Italian club. He also disappointed with Brazil at the 2006 World Cup and was not included in the squad for the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
He had been playing sporadically with Milan and after the New Year he was authorized to leave the team’s training camp to travel to Brazil. The club will likely save money with Ronaldinho’s transfer to Brazil because it will not have to continue paying the player’s high salary.
Ronaldinho has been playing in Europe since he joined France’s Paris Saint Germain in 2001, where he stayed for two years before making the move to Barcelona.