Before making his move to Europe in 2001, when he headed to Paris Saint-Germain, footballing legend Ronaldinho came up through the academy at Gremio. He spent over a decade at the club, scoring regularly as a teenager when he finally made the senior team. After another decade in Europe, the two-time World Player of the Year decided to return to his home country to finish his career. Unsurprisingly, he was heavily linked to Gremio.
Instead, Ronaldinho signed for Flamengo. Supposedly, for a heck of a lot more money than Gremio were able to offer. The fans of his old club didn't take it well.
In Ronaldinho's return to Gremio, he caught a fair bit of abuse. The fans booed every time he touched the ball and held up banners that read "mercenary." His team squandered a 2-0 lead to lose 4-2, and the crowd cheered wildly after Ronaldinho was booked for dissent.
So, what did Ronaldinho think of the abuse he got?
"Everyone knew this was going to happen but for anyone who is used to the Flamengo supporters, it's not really much noise."
Shots fired.