Wollongong fail in audacious Ronaldinho bid

The ‘greatest show on earth’ has apparently denied a small Australian city its own sporting spectacle, with Ronaldinho citing his Olympic commitments as the reason for declining an offer to play for Wollongong Wolves.

The former Brazil and Barcelona star had been offered a reported one-off payment of 100,000 Australian dollars (approximately £58,000) to play for the second-tier team in their FFA Cup tie against A-League outfit Sydney on Wednesday.

But the World Cup, Champions League and LaLiga winner will not be gracing WIN Stadium, in a blow to fans of the two-time National Soccer League champions. 

“We gave what we felt was a fair offer, but unfortunately he [Ronaldinho] declined,” a Wolves spokesperson was quoted as telling the Illawarra Mercury.

“We would have loved to have him out here and seriously pursued all our commercial avenues to make that possible. 

“With the timing of the Rio Olympics and his commitments over there, unfortunately it didn’t get over the line.”

Ronaldinho has often been cited as a potential marquee signing for A-League teams, with the Wolves hoping his proposed one-off appearance for them would have helped him to win a lucrative contract. 

The 36-year-old last played professionally for Fluminense in 2015.