T

uesday night's Champions League classic at the San Siro may have been memorable for another breathtaking showing by Wayne Rooney but it also brought further evidence of one of football's great personal comebacks.

In defeat, AC Milan's Ronaldinho scored his team's opener against Manchester United and created the second for Clarence Seedorf. Over 90 minutes, he produced a performance studded with the no-look passes, elasticos, step-overs and jinking runs that made him a two-time World Player of the Year.

He even bounced one remarkable pass off his standing leg. Deliberately, as opposed to Paul Scholes' unintentional effort, which somehow found the net.

Followers of Serie A have known for some time that the buck-toothed Brazilian is back to his best. Fans of his national team have been clamoring for his recall ahead of South Africa 2010. Now, thanks to the ubiquitous nature of Champions League coverage, Ronaldinho's rebirth is a matter of fact.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Henry Winter noted, "Ronaldinho was magnificent in the early stages, juggling the ball and conjuring up memories of his effervescent days with Brazil and Barcelona."

In the Daily Mail, Matt Lawton wrote: "The older of the two Brazilians was terrific, so much so that he could yet have a part to play at this summer's World Cup. He terrorised Rafael with one of his finest performances in years."

Now, juxtapose those journalistic plaudits with these articles.

Back in April 2008, the BBC's website published a detailed investigation titled, "What has happened to Ronaldinho?" As recently as September 2009, the Footballing World website issued (under the headline "Ronaldinho hits rock-bottom at maudlin Milan") the following eulogy:

"Winner of the Ballon d'Or just four years ago, the one-time star attraction at Camp Nou has slumped to a shocking low this season. His slump from pinnacle to past-it has been a dramatic one. Perhaps, though, it was an inevitable outcome for a footballer who has always focused more on the vibrant nightlife of Paris, Barcelona and now Milan, than dedicating extra hours preserving his fitness on the training ground. Aged a mere 29, Ronnie now faces being consigned to history as a quite brilliant flash-in-the-pan who fell short of true greatness."

Just think about that last sentence. When 2002 World Cup winner Ronaldinho was named the world's best player in 2004 and 2005 and led Barcelona to the Champions League in 2006, would anyone ever have dared suggest he might be labeled a flash-in-the-pan?

Most journalistic studies of Ronaldinho's decline point to a disappointing showing at the 2006 World Cup as being the beginning of his slump. Before long, Spanish newspapers printed pictures of "little Ronaldo" looking somewhat large around the middle. Barcelona fans regularly questioned the partying habits of Ronaldinho and his buddy Deco.

Significantly, Ronaldinho incurred the wrath of Brazil coach Dunga by skipping the 2007 Confederations Cup to take a vacation.

His spell at Milan (to whom he was "offloaded" in 2008) hardly appeared to have reversed this decline. It was only really as 2009 drew to its close that Ronaldinho sprang into life when he helped Milan overcome his old rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League. In January, he scored a brace in a 3-0 mauling of Juventus and a hat-trick against Siena.

Significantly, he also demonstrated an enthusiasm for the game to match that of his hugely-talented 20-year-old compatriot and teammate Alexandre Pato.

Before long, the Brazilian public decided it had seen enough to convince them that Ronaldinho should be recalled by national coach Dunga, who had overlooked him since the beginning of 2009.

A recent survey by the O Globo newspaper said 73 percent of Brazilians wanted Ronaldinho back.

However, Dunga has resisted those calls. Ronaldinho's name was conspicuous by its absence from the squad to Ireland in London on March 2. The friendly, at the Emirates Stadium, is Brazil's last game before the finals in South Africa.

"All players have a chance," said Dunga. "We will analyze and seek options for the group. As things stand he *Ronaldinho* is not part of the plan."

It would appear that all Ronaldinho can do is continue to produce performances like Tuesday's, and perhaps hope for the kind of (ultimately unsuccessful) public campaign in Brazil that called for Romario's inclusion in the 2004 World Cup squad.

He can certainly keep the performances coming and has attributed his return to form to the presence of Milan's laid-back coach Leonardo, who appears to "get" Ronaldinho.

"I have a good rapport with the coach," he said recently. "It's helping me with my form as I can speak to Leonardo about anything and when I go on the field I feel the coach's trust."

Alas, Dunga appears to have more "trust" in the likes of Robinho and Elano than he does Robinho. That in itself is depressing to those of us who remember that duo's efforts at Manchester City. True, Ronaldinho still appears unable to "track back" and defend, but then he never was much for defensive work.

If Dunga honestly feels Brazil's best chance of winning South Africa 2010 precludes submitting a squad list containing the name Ronaldo de Assis Moreira then that is his prerogative. Brazil may yet lift the Jules Rimet trophy, but the worldwide football audience would still have been deprived of a chance to witness the football magic that only that man can perform.