Leicester City have experienced heartache in the transfer window in years gone by, with players rejecting the club for various reasons.
PSG superstar Ousmane Dembele once rejected Leicester City after a phone call with then-manager Claudio Ranieri in 2016.
Leicester also showed an interest in Michael Olise in 2020, and the French winger is now tearing it up with Bayern Munich and reportedly worth £100 million.
The above examples are just two of the many that have seen the Foxes crumble in the transfer market, with one Ballon d’Or winner previously rejecting a move to the King Power Stadium.
Photo by Team 2 Sportphoto/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Photo by Team 2 Sportphoto/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Why Ronaldinho rejected a move to Leicester City in 2016
In January 2016, Leicester tried to pull off an audacious deal to land one of the greatest players ever, Ronaldinho.
The Barcelona icon was 35-years-old at the time and was a free agent after leaving Fluminense in September 2015.
But, according to Mundo Deportivo, Ranieri failed to land a transfer for Ronaldinho as he was holding out for a lucrative move to China to end his career.
Realistically, a deal for the Brazilian wouldn’t have been the wisest decision, but it would have benefitted Leicester financially in terms of selling merchandise and the winger’s global outreach.
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In the end, a move to China never happened for Ronaldinho, and he wrapped up his professional career in 2018, two years after leaving Fluminense.
Ronaldinho’s career in numbers
Ronaldinho sits close to Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Pele in the conversation of the greatest players to grace the beautiful game.
In 2005, the Brazilian superstar beat the likes of Steven Gerrard, Thierry Henry and Frank Lampard to the Ballon d’Or after an impressive 2004/05 campaign at Barca.
He won the Spanish league title for the first time and was involved in 30 goals in all competitions, predominantly playing as a left winger.
Ronaldinho’s career stats Figure
Games 591
Goals 213
Assists 176
Across an illustrious career at the likes of Barca, AC Milan, PSG, and Flamengo, Ronaldinho was the reason why many youngsters were inspired to play football in the modern era.
His unbelievable skillset and ability to express himself on the field with tricks was complimented by a beaming smile.
Ronaldinho just simply loved playing the sport, and unfortunately, Leicester fans were denied the chance to see him for just a short period at the end of his career.