The 23-year-old, who burst on to the scene when he was crowned champion and top scorer at the FIFA under-17 world championship in Egypt in 1997, had already been through a judicial battle to arrive at his former club Paris Saint-Germain.

The tussle over the Brazilian between his first team Gremio in Eastern Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain was a bad omen for the striker's arrival in Paris.

Gremio, who Ronaldinho played for between 1998 and 2000, were desperate to seek compensation for the loss of the prodigy they used to publicise the club.

FIFA even chaired a special meeting between the two clubs to settle the dispute that had raged since the striker's arrival in Paris during the summer of 2000.

The talks ended with the French side being forced to pay the Brazilians 4.79 million euros in February 2002 for a player who was to cause persistant problems for the club.

It was hoped that Ronaldinho's exceptional pace, mesmerising dibbling and exuberant sense of invention would power the Parisian team in their desperate search for titles.

The club's former manager Luis Fernandez was, however, unable to tame the young Brazilian's wildness with disputes between the two commonplace at the club.

The striker complained about Fernandez's tactics and man-management and even warned he would leave the club unless the manager was sacked.

The Ronaldinho star only shone intermittently at Paris Saint-Germain with the player being accused to picking and choosing his matches.

For the biggest encounters against arch-rivals Marseille, the sleeping Ronaldinho came to life scoring spectacular goals but the more mundane fixtures largely triggered indifference.

The Brazilian managed to cause controversy off the pitch as well. He was reported to have had season tickets to various Parisian night-spots and strip clubs.

Ronaldinho once broke club rules by smuggling a girl into his room before a game with Lens which the Parisian side went on to lose 3-2.

Another episode of the player's lack of disciple saw the club land him with a fine.

On this occasion, the Brazilian returned five days late from a winter break claiming he had been having problems with his famous protruding teeth.

Whether Barcelona can tap Ronaldinho's talent remains to be seen.

There can be no doubt however about the Brazilian's skill after his thrilling exploits at the last World Cup with his famous lob over the England goalkeeper or his spectacular individual goal against Venezuela in the 1999 Copa America.