Ronaldinho helps new team Mineiro go top
Reuters - Sunday 10 June 2012, 03:39
Ronaldinho marked his
Atletico Mineiro debut by helping them beat Palmeiras 1-0 in Sao
Paulo to go top of the Brazilian championship on Saturday.
Flamengo, the club the former FIFA world player of the year
walked out on last week, beat Coritiba 3-1 at home in Rio for
their first victory after three draws since the championship
kicked off last month.
Ronaldinho, who failed this season to repeat his good
performances for Flamengo last year that earned him a return to
the Brazil side, played in his old central midfield position,
taking part in several good attacking moves.
Now wearing number 49, his sick mother's year of birth,
Ronaldinho was also a danger with free-kicks and corners but he
had no part in the only goal of the match at the Pacaembu
stadium in Sao Paulo.
Former Manchester City and Brazil striker Jo headed the
winner three minutes after halftime to give Mineiro 10 points
from four matches, one point more than Vasco da Gama, who visit
Bahia on Sunday.
Mineiro, from the city of Belo Horizonte, surprisingly
signed Ronaldinho until the end of the year, hoping the
32-year-old's penchant for night life would remain at Flamengo
and he would regain some of the form that made him the world's
best player when he was al Barcelona.
Ronaldinho only won one title with Flamengo, the Carioca
(Rio) state championship after joining them from AC Milan in
January 2011.