KUALA LUMPUR: Ronaldinho is still an expensive commodity despite having already retired from professional football.
According to Action Football Asia Sdn Bhd head Effendi Jagan Abdullah, it will be near-impossible for M-League clubs to entice Ronaldinho as even for a promotional event, his asking price to attend it can cost around US$1 million (RM4.1 million).
Effendi was responding to Perak FA’s (Pafa) interest in signing the former Ballon d’Or winner.
“Ronaldinho is now retired although he has stated his willingness to play for free. I think this is only for promotional events, not in competitive matches.
“A team, who wants to sign him, must also consider whether Ronaldinho will be competitive as he has retired.
“I am not trying to look down on Perak but Ronaldinho was a former world class player who had played for big clubs. I am just afraid he will not be able to adapt with a club in Malaysia.
“Pafa need to be clear on whether their interest on Ronaldinho is just a marketing strategy or to strengthen their Super League team,” said Effendi.
Effendi added that M-League teams, except for a few, are not ready to sign big names like what the leagues in Japan and Indonesia have done.